zentocoach

Gita: Being Fulfilled

Disconnected from outside, attention on the third eye, breath balanced

Senses, mind and intellect in control 5.27

Freedom from body mind attachment as the only goal,

Free from fear anger greed, the Wise one is already liberated 5.28

The Wise one knows Me, Lord of all Worlds, Lord of all sacrifices

And with that knowing attains fulfillment 5.29

I acknowledge this picture from the Internet, Shiva’s Third Eye.

What’s Third Eye and why has Krishna referred to it?

The Vedic mind body energy depiction talks about a virtual energy network within us. A similar concept exists in Traditional Chinese Medicine and probably in such ancient cultures as Egypt, America etc. Our body has a network of energy pathways, called nadis in Sanskrit, and centers where they meet, called chakras. There are six chakras, starting from the root chakra at the perineum point where trunk meets thighs and ending at the point midway between eye brows, the Third eye chakra. The gateway after the final third eye chakra is the crown center, atop the head, where the feminine kundalini Shakti energy meets the super conscious Shiva.

The Third Eye chakra, called Ajna chakra or Will energy center, is the master center of all mind body energy. It is linked to the Pituitary gland, the master gland. Like the Pituitary controls all other glands, Ajna controls the remaining chakras. This is named the Ajna or Will, based on the a belief that when one acts with one’s attention focused on this chakra, action will lead to desired outcome.

Ajna is also the center of our ego, both positive and negative. Moving beyond Ajna, leads to conquering of ego, and enlightenment where Shakti meets Shiva. When as Krishna says one’s attention is on Ajna, one can conquer ego, moving to liberation from desires. Liberation from desires leads to liberation from all bondage and attachment, which is liberation and fulfillment.

The Third Eye is the center of Self Awareness. A simple meditation that is very effective follows.

Sit comfortably on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, if need be with a cushion to support one’s seat, and with spine erect. Keep your feet planted on the ground , if on a chair. Keep hands loose on your lap, with first three fingers touching forming a circle. Close your eyes and keep your attention on the Third Eye, the point at the middle of eye brows.

Inhale deeply, visualizing that you’re drawing energy into your body. Next, hold your breath for as long as you are comfortable, visualizing that energy spreading through your body. Next, exhale all the stored breath, visualizing that you are expanding into the Universe. Finally, hold after exhalation, again as long as you’re comfortable, visualizing that now you’re now one with the Universe.

Keep repeating this cycle for as long as you can, to your own rhythm of comfort, without counting seconds for inhalation, holding, exhalation and holding., all the while with attention on Ajna.

This is the most powerful of all pranayama or Yoga breath control but rarely taught. The first ten verses of Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, instructions to Parvati about reaching Him teach this breathing process. Read Osho ‘The Book of Secrets’ or Bihar School of Yoga ‘Ascent’, to learn more about these verses and the most powerful dharana techniques ever taught.

If you have doubts on how to , mail me. Like the Ajna is the King of Chakras, this technique is the King of meditation techniques, combining asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana and dhyana.

It helps you to know That and be One with That.

Coaching, Energy, Gita, Hindu Scriptures, inner energy, mind body spirit, Patanjali Yoga, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Yoga

Bihar School of Yoga, Gita, Osho, Third Eye, Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Yoga

September 4, 2012

Gita: Desire to Anger

Pleasures of the senses end in pain as they begin and end

The Wise does not enjoy them. 5.22

One who while alive before liberation from the body

Controls desire and anger is the Yogi, a joyful person 5.23

The Yogi who is joyful within, lives within and focuses within

Is joyful in the Brahman and becomes the Supreme Truth, Brahman 5.24

The Wise having overcome all ignorance and doubts, controlling senses

Serving others, live in the bliss of the Supreme Truth, Brahman 5.25

Those who are free from desire and anger, controlled in thoughts,

Self aware, are always in the bliss of the Supreme Truth, Brahman 5.26

I acknowledge this lovely depiction of Shiva from the Net.

Moving towards what we like and moving away from what we don’t is not merely based on instinct, but also ingrained in our DNA. Bruce Lipton in his Biology of Beliefs says that in his experiments as a Cellular microbiologist this behavior is clearly visible with cells. In a Petri dish, cells and parts of cells move towards nutrients and away from toxins.

What’s the big deal, you may ask, i knew this all along. The big deal is that Krishna says we need to move away from this DNA if we are to be Self Aware.

Desire is a product of our human physical sheath, the gross body. Each breath, the energy of prana, keeps us alive with the desire to be alive. When the energy within has no longer that desire to live, the prana that leaves does not return. Lief and death are that simple.

Fulfillment of desire creates more desire. It does not create permanent fulfillment or content. The happiness we experience upon fulfillment of a desire is temporary. This is why Buddha classifies desire as the cause of all suffering. In addition, fulfillment of desires creates pride and ego.

Non fulfillment of desires creates anger at being thwarted of our birth right. Greed, fear, pride, ego, anger and all such emotions overlap each other on the foundation of desire. The temporary pleasure of fulfillment invariably leads to pain with the realization that this fulfillment does not continue. Human greed is limitless and is the source of all pain. Ramana Maharishi says: this universe is limitless and can provide for the needs of all, but even this universe cannot provide for the wants for the single person.

Needs are limited. Wants are unlimited. Wants arise from human greed. I do not know of any animal that suffers from greed. No animal hoards food, covering or shelter like humans do.

These verses are about the need to separate our wants from needs.

Why have i used Shiva to make a point? Of all the deities in the Hindu pantheon, Shiva moves desire less. He is the ultimate yogi. His desires, fears, anger are all in the present moment, expressed and released. The word Shiva means auspiciousness and bliss. Shiva’s bliss is uncreated. It’s the anahata ananada, sat chit ananda, which has no source, no destination and no path. It’s not even an experience. It just is.

I often meet people, especially in the corporate space, who are obsessed with making money. We need this to help our children and their children, they say. They are ready to make this planet uninhabitable for their grand children ecologically in order to create wealth for them. Do they realize that moments after they are gone, even a loving wife may not remember them. Shankara says hauntingly in his Bhaja Govindam, ‘ When the breath leaves the body, even your wife is disgusted with your body. What are you thinking, you moron!’

A senior finance executive lost his job and was escorted out of his office by corporate security a week after he confided in me that his short term goal was to make twenty million dollars. He was nearly jailed. A few months later, he was back in the game to make his millions.

When will they ever learn!

Coaching, Gita, Hindu Scriptures, inner energy, mind body spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Uncategorized

Adi Shankara, Krishna, Shiva

August 24, 2012

Leadership, mind body spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Uncategorized

Long Live Anna Hazare! Down with Corruption!

The Jasmine revolution is in India! The new square for revolution is Jantar Mantar in New Delhi!

A couple on moths ago, and it seems so long now, when Mubarak was holding fast against his detractors, i had lunch with two guests from UK. One was an Egyptian Professor, who was campaigning against Mubarak. I asked him innocently what he had against Mubarak.

The elderly, experienced and respected Egyptian Professor, now living in UK, explained to me how Mubarak and his family had looted the wealth of his nation. He said they must have stolen at least $ 40 billion.

I laughed. I told him how one insignificant politician, who was for a while the Telecom Minister, is now being accused of looting much more than that. The aptly named ‘King’ Raja, had not then been arrested. I told him that Mubarak would be a pauper among the political princes of India who had spirited away the nation’s wealth into Swiss Banks. The British in their 300 years of rule came now here close to what our Congress and BJP leaders managed in a mere 60 years.

I asked him: In Egypt you can replace a dictatorship with democracy, and you hope it’ll work. What do we with the democracy we have? Where do we go from here? Where can we go from here?

I had no answer. The emotional Professor had no answer. He merely asked, ‘if what you say is true, we have no hope.

Corruption in India had the power to silence any right thinking mind!

But, now we have Anna Hazare. And, I have some hope. India has some hope.

For the first time after Gandhi, one man has ignited our consciousness again. By laying his life at the altar of the common man’s cause, Anna Hazare has rekindled hope in millions like me, who have become skeptical non-believers in democracy.For the time, many believe we can uproot corruption in India.

From what has been the refuge of the scoundrels and the corrupt, we can redeem democracy into the supreme spiritual governance that Lincoln extolled as the government of the people, for the people, by the people, that shall not perish from the Earth.

Anna Hazare, I salute you humbly! Jai Ho, Anna Hazare!

Anna Hazare, Corruption in India, Jai Ho, Jantar Mantar, Jasmine Revolution

April 8, 2011

Bardo Thodol, death and rebirth, inner energy, mind body spirit, The Beatles Revolver, The Tibetan Book of the Dead

How to be alive at death?

Turn off your mind, relax
and float down stream
It is not dying
It is not dying

Sang the Beatles, inspired by the Bardo Thodol or the The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Every religion has it base in death and the question of death and rebirth. It’s man’s, or woman’s, anguish about the unknowability of death, and its mystery, its suddenness and of course, its inevitability, which raised questions about the greater mystery of death and rebirth.

After all, if you remove the issue of the death and rebirth from theology, what is left?

Religions that flourished in the plains of the Sindhu (Indus to the anglicized) and Ganga (Ganges to the anglicized), believed that what perished at death was merely the body mind system. They believed that an inner energy stayed behind, leaving the spirit or inner energy of the mind body spirit system to continue eternally.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, ‘It (this inner energy) moves from body to body the same way you move from one garment to another. It is imperishable. Fire cannot burn it. Water cannot wet it. Wind cannot dry it. No weapon can destroy it.’

Buddha does not explicitly talk about this inner energy as the soul or spirit, but allows the possibility of rebirth, which is the subject of the The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Beatles’ number in Revolver.

Judaism accepts the concept of rebirth. So does Jesus, though the Church seems equivocal on this issue.

Why is this belief relevant?

If we believe that life continues as inner energy after death we don’t live only once. We live again and gain. We may not remember always what happened before, but if we believe, then there is no pressure to compress so many things into this one life.

We can lead our lives without stress. After all, we can continue where we left off!

If this sounds silly, how silly is it to accumulate wealth that you cannot carry with you into the grave? Or name, fame, power or relationships? What use is it to strive so hard, sacrificing so much, for something that is so temporary? Does this make sense?

Those who think it makes sense, stand on one side. Those who don’t, relax on the other!

Or play the game
existence to the end
Of the beginning

Tomorrow Never Knows: The Beatles

Death, inner energy, mind body spirit, Spirituality, Uncategorized

March 14, 2011

6 Comments

Tao 9:Counter Intuition

Tao 9: Counter Intuition

If you fill your bowl to the brim, it will surely spill. If you keep sharpening you knife, it will become blunt. 9.1

A learned scholar from the West, a Professor, sought out a Zen Master from a remote province in Japan to advise him on inner energy. When the Professor arrived at the Zen Monastery, the Zen Master was in meditation. The Professor was led to a waiting room, where he paced impatiently.

As soon as the Zen Master arrived, the Professor introduced himself at length. He talked about all the work he had done and where he had published. The Zen Master listened politely. While listening he started pouring tea from the pot into the cup in front of the Professor.

As the Professor kept talking, the Zen Master continued to pour. Soon the cup overflowed. Professor was agitated. He shouted, ‘Can’t you see the cup is full and it can’t hold anymore?’

The Zen Master smiled, ‘So is your mind, Professor!’

Still your mind and empty it of thoughts. Only then it reveals your inner energy!

Pursuing wealth and safety hardens your mind and heart. Needing others attention makes you their prisoner. 9.2

Why do we gather wealth, name and fame? Do they add any value to our inner energy? we think that material possessions make us look good in front of others. We feel good if others feel good about us. Why?

Because we have no good feeling about ourselves. This in turn saps our inner energy.

If we have self-esteem, why would we seek someone else’s attention and respect? We need all that only when we have no esteem and respect for ourselves.

Forget about others. Do what makes you happy. Indulge in your passion. Enhance your inner energy.

what you have to do. Do what is right. Do not worry about outcome. Step back. Relax and let go. You’ll be in peace. 9.3

The process defines the outcome. Constantly worrying about how the dish will turn out, will not help you cook a better meal. Nor will it make you a better cook.

When you cook without thinking, yet following the process you know well, you need not worry about the result. It will be good.

The journey matters. If the journey is joyful, the result too will be.

Let life lead you. Follow your heart and be joyful. All will be right.

inner energy, Religion & Spirituality, Tao, Uncategorized, Zen

Buddhist scripture, inner energy, Japan, Religion and Spirituality, Tao, Zen Master

March 12, 2011

5 Comments

Chakras, who are they?

Chakras have been in fashion for a while now. Every energy healer of any denomination talks glibly about chakras and how to energize them. They wave their hands over you as you lie on a couch like magicians about to produce a rabbit out of your belly.

The trick is the same.

Some of what these guys talk about and do is quite dangerous. I followed the advice of a New Age Californian author a couple of decades to ago on chakra energizing. I ended almost losing an eye! I later learnt that people have lost their minds doing this stuff.

I am posting this piece to educate as well as warn.

Indian and Chinese spiritual schools, of Hinduism, Buddhism, Zen and Tao, as well as traditional medical systems that arose from these spiritual schools, believed that the human mind body spirit system is energy. This is why Hinduism and Buddhism consider life as eternal. This inner energy within continues even after the physical mind body perishes at death. This in turn leads to concepts of karma, rebirth etc.

The inner energy within us, the inner energy that sustains us, is an integral part of the energy of the Universe, the Cosmic energy. Hindu philosophy of the Vedas believed that this inner energy lies dormant in our perineum. When dormant, it works on instinctive reactions related to survival and security needs.

This inner energy, called kundalini energy, can be awakened through techniques of yoga and tantra. The purpose is to make us self-aware. When this kundalini energy at the root or muladhara chakra center rises to the top of the head, the crown chakra center, we become fully Self-aware. We become aware that we are nothing but cosmic energy.

The path of the kundalini energy from the root energy center to the crown energy center is through a virtual energy pathway along the spine, passing through 5 other inner energy centers. all called chakra. Chakra refers to an active inner energy center, circular and spinning like a wheel.

Most Western literature i have read on this subject are superficial and often dangerous. People have lost their health and even mind following New Age techniques purported to awaken the kundalini energy. After my bad experience following some of these techniques, i decided to learn from the scriptures directly.

Awakening the kundalini energy has practical benefits. We become intuitive. We become compassionate. We become coaches and healers. There are safe methods and unsafe shortcuts.

I shall outline some safe methods on this journey of mind body spirit in future posts.

Healing, inner energy, Mind, Tantra, Uncategorized

Chakra, energy center, inner energy, kundalini energy, mind body spirit, New Age

March 11, 2011

32 Comments

Why should you blog?

Because…..

I have blogged for a month now. So, what?

My blog stats show that in about a month i have had about a 1000 viewers, with an average viewership now of close to fifty a day. is that good, bad or ugly? Does it matter?

I guess it does, as it should to anyone who wants to write a blog. Why write if no one wants to read us? We are not quite Van Gogh.

I started blogging as part of a course requirement when i signed in for a coaching program with ICA. I had been thinking of blogging for a few years now, with nothing to show for it. So, i should thank ICA for kick starting me, or as they in coaching terms moving me from ‘trying’ to ‘commitment’. I opened an account with WordPress.

I am also a pretender writer. I ghost wrote 30 0dd books for a non profit. My first ‘real’ book with my name as an author will be published in about 3 months, once the Publisher gets the design and stuff done. I decided that after my graduation requirements of the blog would be complete, i would use the stuff for future books that the Publisher wanted me to write.

This was how started. Even if no one read my blog, it wouldn’t matter. But, things changed. Even my first blog had about 10 viewers. Within a week i had over a hundred. The blog assumed a life of its own.

It was then i attended a Lethia Owens teleseminar that ICA organized. I learnt how to leverage my blog through social marketing channels like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and others. Soon, my Blog was in Twitter and my tweets were in my blog and both were in Facebook and Linked In. I found i liked seeing my name in print.

Whoever says she or he doesn’t like her or his name in print on or offline, is a liar or dead!

What now?

i have fulfilled my grad requirements. I am building material for books. I have some regular viewers and a few compliments. So far, no abuses or insults.

My dream once was to build a community where people could share problems that they face in their daily lives, with others offering whatever best they could to inspire self induced solutions. This would be coaching at its best. This is why i named my blog zentocoach.

I do hope that happens. i hope that what i write prompt others to write in . They can challenge what i say. They can agree with their own variations. Some can post their concerns and problems. Others can suggest ways as a coach would to inspire one’s own solutions.

I hope people will write in. I hope we all shall help one another. I am sure this will happen.

So, please write in. If you wish to, subscribe. Once you start , you will probably start blogging yourself.

that’s the idea of zentocoach.

I acknowledge the great clip i found on the Net.

Blog, Coaching, Uncategorized, writing

blog, coach, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Networking, Twitter, Wordpress, Zen

March 6, 2011

Write and be ….what? Happy!

Stephen King didn’t perhaps need any training to start writing his short stories.

Stephen King was perhaps born with a pen in his hand. But, most of us do need some basic training to write for others.

It’s not that one needs any qualifications to write. Any one who can talk can also write, once they learn how to write the alphabets of a language. I am not a native English speaker. For the first fifteen years of my life, i had hardly spoken a few sentences in English. English became my medium of education only in college.

I loved to read from early childhood. Somewhere along the way i started reading in English, though i was not comfortable speaking the language. All that changed when i discovered the joy of writing, in English. It changed even more when i took a distance course in Creative Writing. I ghost wrote over 30 books. My first book, under my name, will be out this summer.I started this blog a month ago. In another post, i shall explain why.

It struck me this morning as i walked my neighborhood park that perhaps i can inspire others to write. If I can write, publish and blog, why not anyone else. Writing gives me a freedom and joy that many other activities do not. I do not need to write to live, but writing makes my life more value added.

I jotted down the basics of what i had learnt from the time i started writing seriously. You may call them techniques and tools. They form 5 section, each with about 3 posts, 15 in all. I shall be happy to share them with you, one every 15 days, on this blog. Each post will carry with it an assignment that you can file in as a comment to that post. It is that simple.

I may not comment as an expert on each piece, but other readers of this blog can do that. Ultimately, your readers are your judges.

Pretty soon you can start your own blog. You may even start earning through your writing. You don’t have to spend a penny. Go with that dream of wealth and fame!

All you need to do is to subscribe to this blog. Somewhere in the top right corner of this blog is a widget that you can activate to subscribe. Once i have 100 subscribers, which i guess is not much, i shall start posting from the fifteenth day. It’s a deal.

Let’s start!

Education, Life, Tool, Uncategorized, writing

blog, Creative writing, education, fame, Stephen King, Training, wealth, Writing

March 2, 2011

Tao 8: Like Water

I acknowledge this beautiful picture of River Ganga from the Net.

Tao says in verse 8:

1. The energy of Cosmos is that of water.

This energy nourishes without being asked.

It seeks low places others avoid.

Its path is Tao.

Water flows seeking its own level. It does not try to climb mountains.

It nourishes all that it flows through. It does not favor one or another.

Water is life. It cleanses, rejuvenates, revives and sparkles.

2. Be like water.

Live close to the ground, as low as possible.

Think and act simply and honestly.

When opposed, be fair and generous.

Do not control others.

Work with passion.

be mindful in all that you do.

If you are wise, build low and live low. Higher you go, more risky it is. It is not Nature.

If you are wise, do not judge others. Think of others as you do yourself. Be fair. Be compassionate.

When someone resists, move away. Let them have their way.

Do not seek power. let it come to you.

Do what you do without worrying about outcome. Do it if you love doing it. The journey determines the destination.

Be in the Present. Past is history. Future is illusion. NOW is real.

3. However good you are

Be humble and give way

World will give way to you

That is the Way of Tao.

Strength lies in humility. Aggression destroys. It destroys you and others. If you have convictions, so do others. Respect them and they will respect you.

Level 5 Leadership is about Leading by Tao. The Wise Leader does not care for himself. He cares for others.

Leadership, Life, Management, Tao, Uncategorized

Jim Collins, Level 5 Leadership, nature, Tao

February 28, 2011

Dare to Imagine!

If there is one piece of music, one piece of anything to read, listen to or watch if i am stranded forever in an island, this would be it.

John Lennon, in this song, is Buddha incarnate.

After what he has said, there remains nothing more to be said.

Imagine a world without hell or heaven, he says. Imagine a world without religions. Imagine a brotherhood of man. Imagine a world of peace. You may think it’s difficult, but you can.

You can, because that’s our nature. That’s the way we came into this world. We came without a religion telling us what to do and what not to, what is right is right and what’s wrong. It said if we do what it said was wrong we shall burn or fry in hell. If we do what it told us to do, we shall live happily ever after in heaven.

Some religions tell us it’s fine to eliminate the rest of the world if it doesn’t believe us. We can kill others if they are not reared in our religion. How fantastic is that? Others try to gloss over this giving intellectual interpretations that do nothing to dispute the original assertion.

Each religion contradicts the other. There is little meeting point. So, we wage wars. We bomb one another. We destroy buildings where people work. We kill people. We torture nature. Why don’t we instead destroy these religions?

The purpose of man, and woman, is to nurture, not to destroy. Religions as we understand them and practice them teach us the opposite. They teach us intolerance. They condition us into submission. They control our minds to destroy one another.

Each religion says, no, that’s not what we do. We believe in a supreme power. The problem is not with us but with others who do not believe in our supreme power. We have no quarrel once you do.

We confuse spirituality and humanity with religion. Religions are commercial institutions. Their purpose is to control people. It is possible that founders who propounded some of the truths based on which others built these religions did believe in humanity and spirituality. But, those who preach these religions today for money and power don’t.

Please do imagine a world without religion! Not as a dream, but reality!

Life, Religious, Spirituality, Uncategorized

Beatles, Imagine: John Lennon, johnlennon, religion, Spirituality

February 27, 2011

3 Comments

Tao 7: Service

Let me acknowledge this sketch from Esquire on the Net.

Tao says in verse 7:

1. Nature exists for you and I.

Heaven and Earth nurture us, not themselves.

They endure eternally in service of others.

Being of service to others, they become others and live in others.

The universe, nature, gives everything without even asking. There is no limit to what It gives. Nature is unselfish. It is selfless.

We may not understand all the laws of Nature. So, we ask and cry, why is Nature so cruel. Nature is not cruel. Nature stays detached. It does not differentiate between good and bad, rich and poor, right and wrong. Nature does not judge.

There is no heaven or hell. We create heaven and hell in our image. We make our lives and others’ lives heaven and hell upon Earth.

2. The Wise One lives to serve others.

The Wise One lives for you and i, not for himself or herself.

In sacrificing everything, the Wise One gains everything.

That is the path of Tao.

The Wise One, The Sage, lives the path of Nature. He or She is Tao.

The Wise One stays detached from all things around him/er. Is that so, is what she asks , when something happens around us and we rush to seek solace.

The Wise One needs nothing; no shelter, no clothing, no food and no relationships. The Wise One has all that Nature gives, which is bountiful.

How do we apply this in daily life?

The more we seek for ourselves, the more we desire. Greed has no end. Companies have to keep growing for them to survive. Do they have to?

When we seek to serve others first instead of ourselves, we receive all that we desire for others. This is the Law of T ao.

Following the Law of Tao, we gain wealth, name and fame.

Fame, Spirituality, Tao, Uncategorized, Wealth

nature, Tao, wealth, Wellness

February 22, 2011

Steering into the Skid

There will be an answer, let it be, sing the Beatles.

I adore the Beatles. I’ve always wondered how to fit in a Beatles clip in my blog. It’s now or never.

The Beatles were ahead of their times. The word ‘let’ is probably the most powerful word in our lexicon. We hate to use it. Using it means we are letting go off our control.

Not that i ever drove in snow, but the instruction i read that stuck to my mind forever is that when you are in a skid, steer into the skid. Don’t resist , but let go. That lesson, life saving as it is in driving, is life saving in daily life as well.

Everyday, we swing from one extreme to another. We love being in the roller coaster ride of joy and sorrow. When pain drives us mad, we jump into pleasure and when pleasure palls we seek pain.

How stupid, you may ask? Who in his or her right senses would seek pain? Who, indeed?

Why would anyone want t climb the Himalayas? Why would anyone want to swim the English Channel in freezing winter? Why would anyone want to sail alone across the oceans. Hundreds, if not thousands, do. They say they do it, because it’s there. So what?

We have a low tolerance for peace. We are uncomfortable when things happen smoothly. We always look for the second shoe to fall. When things go right far too long, we wonder what mischief nature is up to? That’s not her style, we think.

The Tao says time and again to let go. Zen says to flow with life. Do not resist says Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.

There is an intelligence that brought us into this world. This intelligence will take care of us if we let it.It will bring us wealth, name and fame, if we let go.

Do we have the patience and the wisdom?

Fame, Tao, Uncategorized, Wealth, Zen

Beatles, Bhagavadgita, Himalayas, Krishna, Tao, Zen

February 19, 2011

Tao 6: The Void

1. Tao is the Void.

Yet, it is the void from which everything comes forth.

It’s the spirit of all creation, You, I, the World and the Universe, and all that is material.

Respect that Mother, the Yin.

Buddha called it the Void, Sunya. Shankara, who came 1300 years later called it Completeness, Purna. Tao calls it Void.

Scientists say Big Bang created the Universe. What created the Big Bang? Who created the Big Bang?

Buddha says: The Universe always existed. It exists Now. It will exist forever.

Scientists say that Black Holes devour matter. Every thing disappears into a Black Hole. Black Holes signify destruction.

In the Hindu Trinity, Brahma creates, Vishnu maintains and Shiva destroys. Shiva, they say, destroys to create. He is the Rejuvenator.

Scientists talk about worm holes. They talk about a multiverse. One can disappear from one universe and reappear through a wormhole in another universe in the multiverse.

How Cool!

Shiva knew about earlier!

2. You too are the Mother. The Yin is in You.

Be still and you will be aware.

The Void is no longer a Void, but the energy of all Being.

Be still said Ramana Maharishi, and look within. Examine who you are. Ask where you came from. Where do your thoughts come from? Where do you go when you are dead?

Enquire within, he said. You will be aware.

You are the energy. You are the energy of all beings. You are the energy of the Universe. You just don’t know.

When you know, you will not feel the power. The energy humbles you.

One who knows does not speak.

Move into that inexhaustible Yin, the Mother of all energies. Universe will shower on you name , fame and wealth.

Fame, Life, Tao, universe, Wealth

Big Bang, Black hole, Poorna, Relativity, Shiva

February 16, 2011

5 Comments

Please Forgive Me! I’m Sorry! Thank You!I Love You!

A discussion in an ICA class with Leon, as always, led me and several others to Ho’oponopono.

What, Ho what, you may as well ask?

A Hawaiian healing system, Ho’oponopono, pronounced Ho Opono Pono, rests on the belief of surrender to a super power. When we surrender to this super power, God, Allah, Shiva, or whatever name we wish to give that power, we link to that power. Automatically, we also link to each other.

Ho’oponopono believes that we are not waves separated from one another, but the ocean.

Once we believe in this fundamental principle, which is in fact the common thread in all Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, and perhaps in other religions and cultures too, we take responsibility for every one else on this planet, for everything else in this universe.

So, what’s new?

What is new is the way Ho’oponopono applies this belief to our daily lives. Its modern-day practitioner Dr Hew Len healed an entire hospital full of criminally insane, cured them and closed the facility down. Joe Vitale, one of the participants in The Secret project, wrote Zero Limits along with Dr. Hew Len describing this amazing practice.

Dr. Hew, based on principles taught to him by a master practitioner of Ho’oponopono, gives a 5 step solution to all our problems.

1. Look into yourself for the cause of the problems you find in the outer world. One may see it as someone else’s problem or one’s own. Either way, take responsibility for all problems that come to you. Look in for memories connected to the problem.

2. Say to yourself, to your Divine Self, ‘I Love You’.

3. Say ‘Please Forgive Me’

4. Say ‘I am Sorry’

5. Say ‘Thank You’.

Repeat as often as needed for closure.

The biggest issue most of us will have is in recognizing problems external to us as having been created by us. Our first response would be fear. How can we take the world on our shoulders? What will happen to our shoulders? Nothing really. You’ll lose your painful memories of guilt, depression, anger, sorrow and such like.

You have nothing to lose but your negativity. Just try Ho’oponopono.

Please do listen to the music in the clip. It’s outstanding.

Energy, Mind, News, Uncategorized

Healing, Ho'oponopono, Joe Vitale, Law of Attraction, The Secret, Zero Limits

February 14, 2011

5 Comments

Tao 5: Who Cares!

Says the Tao:

1. Nature doesn’t care. Nature is carefree.

Nature does not try to be good or bad. What happens, happens.

The wise one does not support or oppose one or the other.

People often ask why nature is cruel. Thousands of people die in a tsunami or an earthquake. We can rave and rant, grieve and blame. Would that matter?

You are driving a big truck. You run over an anthill. Thousands of ants die. Would you even know? If you did, would you care?

In the scheme of the universe, we are no more important than ants or even smaller creatures. Nature does not play favorites. We do. So, we suffer.

2. The Tao is infinite. It is eternal. It is inexhaustible.

The more one takes, the more it gives. It does not hoard or hold back.

The Tao does not speak. It acts.

The wise one who knows does not speak. One who speaks does not know.

The more we talk, the more we think of ourselves. In silence, we go within. We think of others. Silence is truth. Words are lies.

Do we need to talk to act? Can we do what we need to in silence? Would that make a difference? Would that help in our doing more things right? Contemplate!

One of the oldest Veda scriptural saying is:

You are infinite. The universe is infinite. From infinity arose infinity. When infinity leaves infinity, infinity still remains.

Whatever one wants to call it, the law of potentiality, the law of attraction or whatever, the truth is that the universe gives without questioning why. You need not even ask. Just don’t refuse!

We are part of a hologram. We are a chip of the hologram of the universe. We are the same energy. What the universe can do, we too can.

Watch the Dalai Lama laughing. You may not understand a word of what he says. Does it matter?

When the universe smiles, do we need to question and analyze?

Become the Tao. Wealth and fame will follow you.

Fame, Spirituality, Tao, Wealth

Dalai Lama, fame, Hologram, nature, Tao, universe, Veda, wealth

February 10, 2011

Tao 4: Without Beginning or End

1. Tao is neither full nor empty.

Being full makes us conceited. Being empty makes us ignorant.

What matters is not how much we know, but what we know.

Does any one really care about what we know? If what we know helps someone, that person cares. If we promote ourselves for our own sake, who cares?

Marketing gurus talk about focusing on the client. But most promotions and advertisements talk about the product or service, and not the customer. How does a product sell without the customer?

2. Tao is not about excelling. Tao is not about comparison. Tao is about harmony.

Avoid being one extreme or another. Avoid greed as well as fear.

Nothing needs to be hated or obsessed about.

Tao is not this or that. It is One.

Our entire life is about comparison. From childhood, from school, we are ranked. The first three get medals. The rest become invisible. Is there a better way to reduce self-esteem?

Do we really need all that we want? How much can we really eat? How many rooms can we sleep in? How many dresses or shoes can a woman wear at one time? Do we buy things for ourselves or to prove to others what we have?

3. No one created Tao. Nothing came before Tao. Tao was always present.

Tao is eternal. Tao is without beginning or end.

Tao is the way of life. Life has always been.

Life came before God. If not, how did God exist?

Who created God? Before man did God exist?

If there are so many Gods, one for each religion and culture, who is the real God?

Will the true God please stand up?

Philosophy, Tao, Uncategorized

advertising, Fear, God, Greed, guru, life, marketing, religion, Religion and Spirituality, Tao, Taoism

February 9, 2011

Tao 3: Balance

1. Good men are valuable but if too esteemed cause envy, so beware

Possessions are essential, but if too valuable get stolen, so beware

2. By keeping the mind still, satisfied with what one needs

Comparison dissolves, envy retreats, wisdom dawns

3. Renouncing the results of action , acting without goals

Doing gets focused and restores harmony and peace

These verses can be interpreted in many ways and have been. One noted Western scholar says that Lao Tse advised the rulers to keep his citizens ignorant and their bellies full. Quite rational!

These verses resonate with those of the Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna says: Act, as you must. You cannot stay in action. But, do not focus on results. You have no control.

We have NO control. We only believe we do. When things go right, we are ready to take responsibility. When things go wrong we apportion blame.

Is anyone so confident of even the next breath?

When one’s next breath is not in one’s control, when no one is sure how long one will live, where is the question of certainty of being sure of the result of what we do?

Yes, we can intend. We should intend well for all. We should act in line with our intent. Let no one be so arrogant to assume that all that one intends will happen.

To be content and to be without comparison with another, is to be happy.

That is Tao.

Spirituality, Tao, Uncategorized

Bhagavad Gita, Blame, envy, Krishna, Laozi, Philosophy, Responsibility, Tao, Tao Te Ching, Veda

February 4, 2011

7 Comments

How to Awaken your Body Mind Spirit?

I tried getting a video clip to suit this piece. I gave up after a lengthy search. Whatever i found on the net to fit this piece was not suitable.

In a recent ICA coaching teleclass, we talked about Energization. Some said exercise gives them energy. Some felt tired after exercise. Some felt energized, or was it inspired, after reading some inspiration material or hearing some music or seeing someone do something spectacular.

What energizes the body may not always energize the mind or the spirit or the other way around. True energization happens when the mind, body and spirit get energized together. Our spirit raises, our mind excites and our body gets ready for action. Those in sports or any competitive field would recognize this mind body spirit coordination to be essential to flow with it, for being in the zone and to win.

Yoga and Tantra lay out a cafeteria of techniques to raise our energy. The concept of chakras, energy centers in our body, a Tantra concept is an extraordinarily powerful one. Unfortunately, this concept and its associated techniques have been misused with dangerous results. Despite having been grounded in the traditional methods, i foolishly attempted techniques described by a Californian New Age author to raise my ‘kundalini’ with disastrous results. I nearly lost my eyes. Later, i discovered others who had lost their minds!

Sir John Woodroffe‘s ‘The Serpent Power’ , published a hundred years ago, remains one of the authentic translations of the original Sanskrit texts, to understand the concept of the energy centers and energy meridians in one’s body. These meridians and centers are the connectors of mind, body and spirit. Chinese systems of ‘chi’ parallel this concept.

These energy centers control our emotional states as well. Meditating upon the energy centers unblock our negative emotional states and release the passage of energy. Yoga, through the physical postures called asanas and breath control techniques called pranayama, attempts the same. Over several posts in future i shall describe some of these techniques, sanitized for safety and yet powerful enough for daily practice.

Let me describe a very simple, yet powerful, technique to start your day on the right note. This has Sufi origins.

When we are asleep, we move into a state called the causal body. When we are awake, we are in our gross body state. In between, when we drop off to sleep or when we are about to wake, we transition through our subtle body state. Our energy centers are most active at this state as they lie on this plane connecting all three body states.

As you are about to get up, but not still out of bed, go through these simple steps.You are in your subtle body state.

With your eyes closed, touch yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet, slowly, moving from head to soles and then reversing from soles to head. Congratulate yourself, admire yourself for having such a wonderful body, and mind and intellect and spirit, (irrespective of whether you believe you have or not). Offer gratitude to the universe for having given you such a magnificent gift.

Do this sincerely. Take your time. use either hand or both. Even if you no hair on your head, admire your bald pate. So with every other body part. Do not discount yourself on any score. You are the perfect 10.

God, or the Supreme Power, is not a lathe operator producing 7 billion mass products of humans. He is an artist who creates each one with care, love, compassion and pride. Who are we to judge what He created in His wisdom? Admire, congratulate and thank.

Do this over 20 minutes at least. Repeat till you are convinced of your unique value, daily and day after day. You can also do it just before you go to sleep.

Try this for 21 days and see for yourself the difference.

If you like, set yourself an intent, say weight loss or whatever, before you do this.

If you have any questions, do mail me.

February 3, 2011

13 Comments

Dare to Bare!

What is truth?

Is truth absolute or is it relative? is life black & white or is it a myriad shade of grays.

The Tao says in all black there is white, and in all white there is black. In all truth, there are lies and in all lies, lie some truths.

Buddha says that everything is relative, including truth. In his various teachings, he provides a few conditions: 1. Is it really true? 2. Is it kind to others? 3. Is it needed? 4. Is it for common good?

The Rotary has adopted this as its 4 Way Test with a few modifications.

The Hindu scriptures talk of a universal truth that is eternal and immutable. Everything else is maya or illusion, because everything material changes in time and space. Only energy is constant. Therefore, the ultimate and only truth is the intelligent energy of Cosmos.

What about the daily reality of problems, aches, pains and excitements? Aren’t they real, you may ask. What about my stomach pain? If i consider it an illusion, will it go away? Well, it may or it may not, but we don’t live in the truth of a stomach pain all the time. We do things that lead to the stomach pain. This leads to an entirely different discussion of karma, of cause and consequences.

Buddha spoke of impermanence or aniccha, as the way to look at life. Everything in this world, he said, is impermanent and that too shall change. What we call change management is a Buddhist doctrine. I remember enduring intense pain as i sat through a 10 day Vipassana course for the first few days and suddenly as if miraculously the pain vanished. Then, i realized the power of impermanence.

We call list honesty and integrity as our prime virtues. Sometimes, we swear to die for them. Whose honesty and whose integrity are we defending? If my honesty, my truth and my integrity differ from my neighbor, is it right for me to kill him or for him to kill me? Isn’t that what we see in many parts of the world everyday?

What gives us the right to impose our truths on someone else? One culture bans eating of pigs. Another reveres cows. Another demolishes everything that moves. So, what is right? What is true?

Nothing is.

Quantum Physics has stood classical Physics on its head on this issue. There is no certainty from the QP standpoint. Everything that happens in this universe, happens as a probability, not certainty. All laws of classical Physics have exceptions. When we say exception prove the rule, we recognize that there is no rule to start with.

We now know through QP that sub atomic particles behave totally in a random way. What amazes scientists is that sub atomic particles put on a show that is different to each observer. Over a thousand years ago, a Hindu philosopher Shankara said: The seer defines what he sees.

Truth lies in the eyes of the beholder. So does fraud. Nothing is inherently right or wrong. Once we accept this , most of our conflicts will cease.

Below is a clip from ‘What the bleep do we know?’, a documentary put together by Quantum Physicists. One can love it and one can hate it, bit no one can ignore its message. There are a number of clips on Youtube or you can buy the video at your friendly neighborhood retailer.

Energy, Spirituality, Uncategorized

Buddha, Buddhism, Classical physics, Gautama Buddha, Physics, Quantum mechanics, Quantum Physics, Subatomic particle, what the bleep do we know

February 3, 2011

Tao 2: Contrast

Says the Tao on Contrast:

1. Why do we contrast? Why do we compare? Why the negative and positive? Why the duality?

Beauty of the beautiful leads to ugliness of the not so beautiful. Skill of the skillful leads to the incompetence of the not so skillful.

To the master, would this matter?

Nature is not dual. All is One. One is All. I am the Cosmos. The Cosmos is I.

2. When we see one exist, we see the other absent. Height denotes the absence of shortness. Difficulty denotes the absence of ease. Before means someone is behind. Musical notes show that harmony follows difference.

Would death lead to life? Would being first lead to being last? Would peace lead to war?

Differentiation leads to difference.

Conditioning leads to differentiation. Conditioning is human. Nature does not dictate.

3. The master does not differentiate. He does not compare. He does not tell you what to do.

To him, death and life are same. To him, success and failure are same. To him, praise and calumny are the same.

In everything good, there is something not so good. Nothing is ever bad all the time and all through. There is always good in bad. That is Tao.

The master speaks in silence. His silence is more powerful than anyone’s words.

4. Nature creates without claiming ownership. What grows, grows on its own. What grows, dies. It grows again. The energy is unceasing and eternal. Creator does not claim he creates.

The master does not dictate. He waits. He allows things to happen. He flows with what happens.

The wise coach flows with what happens. He is mindful of his presence. His presence guides the other.

Tao does not coach. Tao lets the path open. We travel as it opens. When the journey seems right, its destination is always right.

Spirituality, Tao, Uncategorized

Alternative, Coaching, Conditioning, Duality, Health, Mindful, Religion and Spirituality, Tao, Tao Lin, Taoism, Taos New Mexico

January 31, 2011

3 Comments

A frozen Blackberry and a fruit coach

Well, if this doesn’t cheer up your day nothing ever will, even if you are American and hate Brit humor.

The guy behind the counter is a fruit coach, specializing in digital fruits. I guess that is the best way to describe him. given the proliferating niches in coaching arena.

I had this dream last night.

I dreamed that i was coaching someone in my teleclass. It was a woman who had coached me in a previous class and i guess i wasn’t particularly co-operative as a client. Now, it was her opportunity.

‘What seems to be the problem today, Julie?’ i ventured in the manner of bespoke coaches.

‘Nothing really. Nothing you can me help with anyway.’ she said, much in the way of my wife.

I couldn’t give up in front of twenty people glued to their headphones, listening in with vicarious enjoyment, hoping that i would soon trip. No way.

‘Let’s not give up so easily’ , i rushed on before she walked out on me, ‘let’s see, what was your first feeling as you woke up this morning?’

‘Don’t even remind me. I wanted to kill that damn dog.’ she growled.

‘What dog, why? You seem like a dog lover.’ i ventured.

‘What do you know of me, anyway?’ she growled again, ‘It’s my neighbor’s dog. It’s been barking the whole night for the last few nights. I haven’t slept a wink.’

I thought of telling her about the dog that didn’t bark leading Sherlock Holmes to the killer in ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles‘, but thought better of it. Given her mood not the best time to talk about crimes and killers.

‘Is it a he dog or a she dog?’ i enquired tentatively.

‘Does it matter?’ she was shrill now, ‘I have been without sleep for days and you ask me this. How would that help?’

How would I know? I was told to listen and ask powerful questions, and that is what i was doing.

‘Ok, How about this?’, I asked, ‘How would killing the dog help? They may put you in jail and the guy may buy another dog.’

‘Yes, I agree’ she said for once, ‘guys actually, two guys living together. Earn a lot, bought this trophy dog and probably don’t have time to feed it.’

‘Ok, listen’ i offered inspired, ‘let us look at it this way. Are you looking for an external solution or an internal one?’

‘What do you mean internal solution?’ her voice rose again, ‘you think i am hallucinating?’

‘Oh,no, no, not at all’ i was highly re-conciliatory, ‘let us look at external ones then. What would you want to do other than killing the dog. Can’t you do something neighborly?’

‘Well’ she said, ‘i don’t dislike dogs. Perhaps i can feed it once a day. But, then it may not be hunger. May be they are feeding it too much. May be it’s lovesick. How would i know? I am not a dog whisperer!’ But she seemed to be thinking now, not all that hostile. This coaching thing is good, bro.

Nor was i to be honest. ‘I know, but once you get to know the dog you would get to know right?’ i was talking a chance, but what the heck, life is not worth living without taking risks, even it was in dream coaching.

‘Ok, you seem to be OK, you know’ Julie said, ‘never thought of befriending the dog. May give me something to do. You know i get so lonely.’

Well, coming from her that was high praise and i preened. I stopped just in time. Ye Gods, i don’t want to get into this I am lonely bit, i said to myself, be careful buddy.

‘Yeah’ i tried to sound bright, ‘ these guys, your neighbors, may be really cool guys. Getting to know the dog is getting to know the owner right. That would make you much less lonely.’

‘Didn’t you hear me?’ her voice rose again, ‘they are a couple. What will i do with them? Perhaps getting to know a guy like you better may make me feel less lonely?’

I woke up instantly. When you are in serious danger in a dream, you instantly wake up. That’s why no one has been mauled by a lion in a dream.

I was perspiring. That was a near escape. I guess Julie had not read the ICF Ethics manual carefully, about relating to a Coach.The morning seemed so bright now!

Need to check with ICA whether this would count for my coaching hours.

Coaching, Uncategorized

Coaching, Dog, Fruit, Hound of the Baskervilles, Pets, Recreation, Sherlock Holmes, United States

January 29, 2011

Zen2Coaching from Tao 1.0: The Journey

My acknowledgment to Lao Tzu and the internet site for the logo. The interpretation and application to Coaching is mine. For whatever is incorrect, I am responsible.

Chapter 1 of Tao, The Journey, says:

1.1 The Tao of Coaching is the journey without a destination. It is the first step of a thousand miles, endless and joyous. It is a process, not an end. It is being, not action.

Do not make a schedule and a timetable, nor a list of do and don’t.

Wherever the journey takes you, as long as you enjoy the journey, the destination will be right for you.

1.2 There is no start and no end. It is an ongoing creation. You are not the creator. You are a witness.

Be aware as it creates itself. Being leads to doing. You merely watch.

Watch and listen. There is no need to act. Creation creates itself.

1.3 There is no outcome. Whatever happens is the result. If one approaches with a goal in mind, it will be a fruitless journey.

Obsession with destination takes the joy out of the journey. Just be, watch, listen and enjoy. Why bear the burden of your baggage when the train carries the load?

Unload your judgment.

1.4 As we travel, scenes change. Simple becomes complex and complexity resolves into simplicity. Such is the wonder of Tao.

In the beginning the mountain is the mountain, the river is the river. In the middle, the mountain is no longer the mountain nor the river the river. In the end, the mountain becomes the mountain and the river become the river.

Relax and be one with the path of Tao.

Spirituality, Tao, Uncategorized, Zen

Coaching, Lao Tzu, Laozi, Religion and Spirituality, River, Tao, Tao Te Ching, Taoism, Texts

January 26, 2011

10 Comments

Coaching a dog!

Shangu is a mongrel who adopted us a few years ago.

We had lost our pets one after another and my wife did not want to keep any more pets and suffer their loss. Then Shangu turned up at our gate as a little pup. A year later, his step sister joined him. One day, a car ran over her hind leg. My wife took her to the local vet, who put her on a splint. Neighbors found this pup with a splint endearing. Soon, Shangu and his step sister, who my wife named Mangu, owned the street we live in.

Shangu and Mangu love their freedom. However many times we put a collar on them, they manage to remove them and bury them where we cannot find hem again. They come into our house and go out as they please. If we close the gates, they find a way to jump over the wall. On occasion, when we return late at night, we find them inside at the door step patiently waiting for us, and a late night snack.

They know their meal times. Beyond that they decide what they do.

Coaching a dog is different from training a dog. By coaching a dog, one allows the dog to do what it wants, while gently guiding it through motivation. They do learn, but it requires patience. In contrast, training a dog can be brutal. We have seen trainers abusing dogs and found it abhorrent. Such trainers should be behind bars.

Coaching a dog is not that different from coaching a human being. The only difference is that a human being talks. I do not see it as a beneficial difference. Coaches who work with clients who have sensory disabilities may empathize with what i say.

In any coaching situation, the coach must observe client responses carefully. In telephonic coaching , one is limited to vocal communication. If it through Skype or another VOIP, one may be able add limited visuals. Even in such limited sensory communication situations, we can learn more about the client response through tonal and pitch variations. We can also learn from silence and what the client does not say.

In the absence of a coach observing very keenly how a client responds and refining the coaching response to lead the client forward to the client’s stated intentions, the interaction stops at knowledge transfer. One says something and the other says some thing else. Whatever each says may be meaningful, but not additive. The conversation runs on parallel paths.

Observant and responsive coaching adds exponential value to the coach client interaction. The client can leap over blocks of limiting and undermining beliefs if they become aware of how debilitating they are.

People who love animals do not judge them. They accept their seemingly wayward behavior as natural. We know that we do not own Shangu and Mangu. Yes, we do feed them, but that does not give us a right to tell them what to do. Can we help them to be a little more sensitive to human needs? Can we guide them not to chase people on cycles? Perhaps. We try and over time we succeed.

Can we use this understanding with humans? perhaps!

Coaching, Mind, Uncategorized

Alternative, Business, Clients, Coaching, Dog, Health, Pet, Skype

January 22, 2011

3 Comments

Devotion: Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

I acknowledge this graphic from the Net showing Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in a state of ecstatic devotion.

In this 95 dharana and 121 verse of Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Shiva says:

Intuition arising from deep devotion of

One disengaged in Shankara’s energy

Leads to Shiva state

Shiva lays down three conditions to his state in this dharana, deep devotion, disengagement and intuitive awareness. When

these three come together Shiva state results.

Devotion is perhaps the most natural and spontaneous of the different paths to Shiva state. Krishna in Gita talks about several paths

reach him, karma or action; gnana or wisdom; dhyana or meditation; bhakti or devotion. Of these action, meditation and wisdom are

acquired qualities, not inborn, whereas devotion is inborn. As a consequence, there is no conditioning effect from the external world

on devotion.

Meera’s or Chaitanya’s devotion to Krishna, or Narada’s to Vishnu, or Hanuman’s to Rama, or Ravana’s to Shiva sprang from a deep inner

resource. This deep devotion may not have the connotation of action, wisdom or meditation as we may define them, but does in fact not only

include them but also go substantially go beyond them. Unlike the other three, devotion is innocent; it has no agenda; it is selfless; it is always

about the other, not the self.

If one can find a living guru who is truly selfless one can be deeply devoted to such a guru fulfilling Shiva’s condition. I can only say it’s a rarity, but

who knows? Personally, I would go with non living gurus and legends of Shiva and Krishna rather than embrace another living being as a guru.

Disengagement and intuitive awareness are the other two conditions Shiva lays down. In the four states of awareness that Mandukya Upanishad

describes, gross boy awareness of jaguars; subtle body awareness of swapna; causal body awareness of prajna; and the Fourth State awareness of

Turiya, the last two represent the intuitive and disengaged states of awareness. How does one combine the deep devotional attitude with the states of

disengaged and intuitive awareness? Is it even possible?

Disengagement or vairagya is what one usually associates with wisdom and meditation. However, in a deep state of devotion too the self disappears,

leading to a heightened state of meditative awareness where one is integrated with the divine and detached from the mind body self. Anyone who has lost

oneself in such a devotional state would have experienced intense joy along with uncontrollably streaming tears raising one to an altered state of consciousness,

in which the individual self is no longer relevant. The object of such devotion is irrelevant, be it Vishnu, Shiva, Devi or Krishna.

I recall an incident from Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s life, when a woman devotee complained to him that she found to impossible to relate to Kali, who

Ramakrishna was devoted to. Ramakrishna asked her if there was anyone in this world she truly loved and was devoted to. She mentioned a child, her nephew,

who she was obsessed with. Ramakrishna advised her to meditate on this child, instead of Kali, which she readily agreed to and could. In a few weeks she found

herself deeply devoted to Kali.

Devotion is a state of mind. Devotion to one entity encompasses all. One who is truly and deeply devoted to Shiva will also be deeply devoted to Krishna, and

Ganesha and Devi. Devotion integrates; it can never separate. In this holistic state, the mind goes beyond intelligence and instinct into mindless intuition, and

detaches itself from its mind body connection to the energy state of the object of devotion. This is the state of Shiva.

Coaching, Energy, Hindu Scriptures, inner energy, Meditation, mind body spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Tantra, Uncategorized

Krishna, Mandukya Upanishad, Meditation, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Shiva, Tantra, Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

December 12, 2014

Create Your Future: Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

I acknowledge this graphic from the Net.

In this 94 dharana and 120 verse of Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Shiva says:

Gazing at something for a while

Withdrawing with its impression

Reach the mindless state of Shiva

You need to try this dharana out to experience for yourself. After looking briefly at an image or picture or whatever,

disengage and reflect internally, and observe what happens.

Let us say that you gazed briefly at the picture of a loved one. As you see, what predominate is the sense of sight.

If you are truly focused on the seeing aspect, the remaining senses are disconnected. Even the mind does not interfere

when you are engaged in seeing. This allows the picture to be stored in your mind’s eye.

Look away and move inwards. If needed, close your eyes. Reflect on what is stored in your mind’s eye. You will observe

other sensory inputs coming into play. These impressions have been stored in your mind for a long time. Now that you have

catalyzed the process through that brief gaze, all other stored sensory impressions rise. If what you have gazed at is something

not very deeply connected, then the quantity and quality of sensory impressions attached to that picture would be less.

Now detach yourself from the emotions associated with the picture or image, and allow the mind to be freed from the sensory impressions.

If you are truly detached, the thoughts and feelings that arise may surprise you. Many may be unconnected with the stored impressions.

You reach the void or the mindless space of true awareness and intuition, and from the limits mindful state of the present moment, the mind

moved without effort into the space of not knowing. Until you experience this, what I say will not make much sense to you.

You can put this dharana to great practical use. Think of a problem scenario that you desperately want a resolution to. See it as a picture

or see a picture associated with the problem. Move out of the seeing and reflect on what you have observed. Then detach and allow the mind to

move in meditatively. Seeds of thought arise within you. You can observe them much before they surface connected with emotions. At the seed state,

these thoughts are not video files, but mere text files. What they bring up will help resolve your problems.

You can draw a rough parallel with dreaming. Dreams too bring up solutions. However, this is a conscious process, whereas in dreaming, a subconscious

process one does not have control. In awareness terms, this dharana takes us to the boundary of the third and fourth states of awareness, whereas

dreaming is the second state of awareness.

Through this dharana you can create your future.

Coaching, Energy, Hindu Scriptures, inner energy, Meditation, Mind, mind body spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Tantra, Uncategorized

awareness, mindfulness, Mindlessness, Shiva, Tantra, Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, void

December 5, 2014

Relive to Relieve:Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

I acknowledge this graphic from the Net.

In this 93 dharana and 119 verse of Vigyana Bhairava Tantra Shiva says:

With deeply emotional memories such as of home and land

Drop the mind and body

Reach Shiva state

During my early spiritual practice, I went through a deep exploration of my past, of memories both pleasurable and painful.

With deep meditation as my only guide, I uncovered long forgotten incidents that still affected me deeply when I recollected

them. So powerful and valuable was this exercise that I have helped others go through this for themselves and benefit.

The key to this practice to me was to take responsibility for whatever happened in my life that affected me and others deeply

emotionally and otherwise, and then let it go. The past as it happened cannot be changed. Regents and guilt serve no purpose

if they do not create the awareness of not repeating what we did in the past. Going to confession on Sundays, or to the temple on Fridays,

putting a few coins as offering to the Almighty is hypocritical if we keep doing what we seemingly regret.

The process of reliving to relieve the burden of the past is a powerful technique. It is not about wallowing in guilt or pleasure, but about

clinically observing one’s on inner feelings as these memories are relived. This process requires detachment as well as acceptance. This leads

to relieving. There is no hypnosis or recession or trance of any kind involved here. The process is one of deep meditation, that is not about mindfulness,

but about the no-mind no-body mindlessness leading to an energized state.

Shiva tells us here to go so deeply into the emotional experience of powerful past memories that we become detached and support less,

mindless and bodyless, experiencing only the energy of the emotions. In such a state, we become truly aware. In that awareness, simultaneously

the state of emptiness of mind body and fulfillment of energy, we are guided in our journey.

There is a Hawaiian healing practice called Ho Opono Pono that I have blogged about earlier. Dr. Hew Len, who practiced this with

criminally insane patients with amazing results, thought not only about himself, but also about others through inner reflection of his own self.

Hew Len took responsibility not only for his own actions, but also for those of others and asked for forgiveness and love. This is the true Shiva state of collective

consciousness we call Brahman.

Coaching, Emotion, Energy, Hindu Scriptures, inner energy, Meditation, mind body spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Tantra, Uncategorized

awareness, Ho Opono Pono, Meditation, mindfulness, Mindlessness, Shiva, Tantra, Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

November 28, 2014

Sneeze and be Shiva: Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

I acknowledge the graphic above from the Net.

In this 92 dharana and 118 verse of Vigyana Bhairava Tantra Shiva says:

At the start and end of sneezing,

Start and end of Hunger

Fearful, sad, confused or curious

Fleeing from battlefield,

Approach and be in Shiva state

What a verse! This is quintessential Shiva. In everything we do we can discover true awareness, Brahman, the Shiva state.

Even the mundane act of sneezing can lead us to him.

Nothing is ordinary.

Reminds me of a two Zen anecdotes.

In one, a monk from a rival monastery asks the disciple of a celebrated Zen master what is so special and extraordinary about him that

makes his disciples hero-worship him. The disciple thinks for a while and says, ‘That is it. There is nothing special about him. He is so

ordinary that he is extraordinary.’

In another, a Zen disciple questions his master about what is different now that he is enlightened. The master reflects and says:

Before I started seeking, to me a mountain was a mountain, a river was a river and a forest was forest. As I was seeking like you,

everything seemed different, not what it seemed before. Now, when I have awareness, a mountain is once again a mountain,

a river once again a river and a forest once again a forest.

In Hero’s Journey, Joseph Campbell talks about three stages: before th Journey or the Call; During the Journey to the Holy Grail;

Return to where the Hero started from.

True awareness is not special. We are truly aware deep within. We lose our way and then with effort we recover the path. The path is the

same. Yet, the Journey is different. This time around, you are the Hero, though you may be no different. No one else can help you in this

no master or guru. Shun them. They are deterrents and diversions. Believe in yourself and move on. Heed the call. If you find a mentor,

make sure that the mentor seeks you, not you the mentor.

Whether you start sneezing or stop, feel hungry or satiated, fearful, confused, sad, curious, or afraid, look within and feel what you are feeling,

observe what you are thinking. Create awareness of what goes on within you as you experience the moment. Experience it, however, as a detached

observer; as an uninvolved witness mindlessly. This is Shiva state.

Take pain, for instance. If you watch pain, you will find it initially intensifying when you are still attached to; as you learn to observe your pain in

a witnessing manner, you will find it reducing. So, with any emotion, feeling or thought. Perhaps you were expecting something eagerly and it did not

materialize. To make matters worse, your friend who you are jealous of gets what you expected. You feel strong emotions of disappointment, anger,

jealousy, sorrow and several others that you cannot even identify. Focus on each emotion and seek its source as a disinterested but curious observer, as

you would perhaps do with another person who you are counseling. Soon, you will be able to live with the disappointment of not receiving what you expected,

and even perhaps understanding the benefits of not receiving.

Seek to be aware of every thing you think, feel and do. That awareness will guide you to the Shiva state.

November 21, 2014

Universal Consciousness: Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

I acknowledge the graphic from the Net.

In this 91st dharana and 117th verse of the Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Shiva says:

Whatever experienced through the senses

Experience in full as universal Consciousness

And rise to Shiva state

Our senses are the windows of our perception. They perceive the external reality of our world and capture them as perceived for other parts of the mind to interpret and act upon. Often what is perceived by one person is not the same as what another does, and this differential perception leads to confusion ands conflict. Whether in religion or politics, work or life, conflict ensues when mind maps differ in content and context. The content changes with the context of who each one of us is, and how we are conditioned.

It is not what the senses perceive per se that is at fault. Yoga teaches us to control our senses and then focus on one or the other, in order that we lead from mindfulness to the no mind mindlessness. It is those parts of our mind that store our conditioned memories, values and beliefs, and then interpret the sensory data in line with the conditioned experience that lead to distortion between one mind map and another. Quite often. we are not even aware that there is a part of us that is independently interpreting what we sense based on our conditioned memories. When Freud made the unconscious conscious to us, and Jung expanded on the collective aspect of this unconsciousness as universal archetypes, they were guiding us to understand and become aware of our internal forces that take over our external perceptions.

It is the ego, ahankara in Sanskrit, the mental conditioning that makes us believe that we are the center of the universe, which is at play when what we perceive through the senses is sculpted by the unconscious into conscious action. Ego is not all conscious as we may like to believe. Much of our identity lies within as a dark unknown space. In order that we make full sense of what we sense, we need to make this dark space open and transparent.

As long as ego rules, as long the mind rules, what we sense is fragmented and distorted by what we are conditioned by. We see only our truths, and not those of others. Me overrides We. Selfishness rules over the Self. The mind and its conditioned component of ego need to be disengaged from to raise our awareness from the trivial to the sublime, from the microcosm to the macrocosm, and from the distorted, self-centered, sensory perception to the pure, universal consciousness of the Brahman, the ultimate, universal truth.

Let go the mind, become mindless and experience Shiva. The Nataraja in the graphic, Shiva is his transcendental dance of universal consciousness embodies what he says here. It is a state of pure bliss, when whatever we experience through the senses is aligned with the unconditioned awareness of the no mind, with no identity inputs, nothing about what is in it for me, what will happen etc. It is pure bliss, in acceptance and surrender.

Uncategorized, Spirituality, Meditation, Energy, Mind, Yoga, Tantra, Religion & Spirituality, Gita

Yoga, Shiva, mindfulness, Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Dhāraṇā, Nataraja, Mindlessness

November 14, 2014

Let the mind go: Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

I acknowledge this graphic from the Net of Tagore’s poem in his handwriting.

In this 90th dharma and 116th verse of Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Shiva says:

Wherever the mind goes, in or out

It is in Shiva state, where else can it go?

Siva is all-pervasive, be there

Do we have the courage to do what Shiva asks us to do here?

Whether one is a learner or an adept, we like to train our minds. Masters, most anyway, have failed in mastering the mind, and yet advise the unwary to attempt that. The unwary learners know no better and listen. All guidelines, whether in yoga or tantra, start with mind control; at advanced levels they are all about letting go. Asana, pranayama, pratyahara , dhyana and all these techniques start with mindfulness. However, stopping there will not get us to the destination, or to the journey proper.

In yoga, the ultimate state of mind is that of no mind. The mind needs to dissolve into energy. There should be no mind either in the body or outside the body. The energy witnesses the mind body when one reaches that level of disengagement. This is mindlessness.

Krishna calls it the yogi state in Gita, the state of equanimity or samatva. In its end point, it is the surrender of the mind that Krishna talks about, about us surrendering our mind. Ramakrishna said that Gita is about surrender, and that is what Shiva is saying here.

What is the Shiva state?

The word Shiva means auspiciousness, a state of fulfillment that happens on its own with no effort, no cause, for no purpose. If one has to attempt it, contrive it, force it, it will never happen. if you let it be, it will. Letting it be, accepting what happens, surrendering to what happens are qualities that have disappeared from our lexicons. We have learnt that unless we work at it, sweat tears, sweat and blood, what we wish will not happen.

Shiva says: work smarter not harder.

If the mind wanders, let it. Let it seek its objects of desire. Keep in mind Krishna’s dictum in Gita: do what you need to do, but don’t be obsessed with what needs done. Disengage from the result, while engaging in action. If this appears foolish, it is also the essence of Six Sigma, the corner-stone of today’s quality principle. This can only happen when a Tagore says, the mind is without fear and the head is held high. If we do it right, it neither greed nor fear, unaffected by pain or pleasure, the journey will be right, and the destination would be right too. Shiva will there waiting for us.

Coaching, Gita, Meditation, mind body spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Tantra, Uncategorized, universe, Yoga

Krishna, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Shiva, Six Sigma, Tantra, Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Yoga

November 7, 2014

Entering the Abyss: Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

I acknowledge this graphic from the Net.

In this 89th dharana and 115 Verse of the Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Shiva says:

Standing above a deep well or an abyss

Fixing one’s eyes freed of thoughts

Mind dissolves reaching Shiva state

What happens when one looks down into depths that one cannot see the end of? What happens to the vision? What happens to the mind that interprets the vision sensation? When a scene is too panoramically vast for the eyes to cover in one snap as a picture, our eyes cope by shifting. What happens when our eyes cannot do that as they looked into unending depths of an abyss?

Why is it that our vision is so shallow most of the time, confined to what we can perceive only in the near term: quarterly results; the next date; the next bonus or promotion. As a coach, when I request clients to look beyond, say 25 years from where they are now, it is a huge task, a task that makes them look into the abyss, the end of which they cannot see.

Try this for size. Envision what you would like to be at 65 or 70 if you are in thirties or forties. Envision holistically, since you would most likely not be spending 12 hours a day at your work desk or laptop or phone. Integrate work and life, career and wealth creation with relationships and health, performance with joy and learning, self needs with service. Then step back 5 years at a time checking what you need to be at that time to become what you wish to be at 65. When you reach 3 to 5 years from today, the near term vision arising from this Life@65Back as my son terms it, will be as different as day from night.

What changed?

You looked into the abyss. In the abyss you found your true self. All of us do.

Ramana Maharishi looked into the abyss when he had the death experience. Joseph Campbell talks about the abyss when he talks about the ‘call’. Paul Coelho’s Santiago looked into the abyss when he embarked on his Alchemist journey. Eckhart Tolle had his abyss moment that he wrote about in Power of Now. I looked into my own several years ago and transformed.

Many of us have looked into the abyss. Many of us didn’t like what we saw and moved away. Had we persisted, we would have looked into the unending depths of our soul. Thoughts stop and the mind stills. In an instant we move from knowing to the not knowing, from knowledge to wisdom, from the sensory mindfulness to the aware mindlessness. Try it and transform.

Coaching, Hindu Scriptures, inner energy, Meditation, mind body spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Tantra, Uncategorized

mindfulness, Mindlessness, Ramana Maharshi, Shiva, Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

October 31, 2014