The value of huge events

Isn't that always the case? Isn't everything more worthwhile in retrospect?

What do you think?

A wonderful poem by WB Yeats

I came across this fantastic poem, written by WB Yeats. Some of you might have already read it, some might be reading it for the first time. What really fascinates me is that the poem has a lot of contentment hidden in it. 


Someone who is truly content with his life, (even if only in that instant), can write such a piece. I'll leave you with it.

Wine comes in at the mouth 

And love comes in at the eye; 

That's all we shall know for truth 

Before we grow old and die. 

I lift the glass to my mouth, 

I look at you, and I sigh.

Isn't it wonderful? 

What knowing "concepts" really does for you

From our reading, listening, and experience, we know the practical applicability of certain concepts, even if we may not understand them completely. For example when people say "live as if it's your last day", One doesnt really know what that means until he's fought death.

But, if we know what the concepts are, we may, in time, know how to apply them properly, when faced with certain situations.

We have too many things to experience in this world, and there is too little time, (and this is a concept we are much aware of) so knowing things, even if we may not know how they may apply to life, is very important. 

As human beings, we can apply learning from one subject to something in a completely different realm: not many other species can do that. (In fact I'm not sure of any other species that can). One example is thinking about thinking. We can think about our thoughts, know that we know, and are self-aware (also known as metacongnition), can other species do all of that? 

When in a situation where you already understand the theoretical concept, the practical application will be much easier. It would be that much harder if you were to learn the theoritcal concept and then apply it practically.

That's the importance on constant learning - even of learning things theoretically. 

This is in addition to the easier said than done post. Everything is easier said (and known) than done, but that doesnt mean you should shy away, or feel it useless completely to "know" about it.

Ps. I am a very big fan of Leo Babauta's posts on "cutting out the clutter from life". Read if you have a few minutes! (or follow him!)

On compassion and such things

com·pas·sion/kəmˈpaSHən/

Noun: Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others

Compassion, I believe, is the foremost human trait. It is only with compassion that we can seek to understand others, ourselves, and seek to be understood.

It is with compassion that we can be truly happy - for if we decide that we cannot understand the world, and cannot expect to be understood - we lose hope in humanity. It is the start of a downward spiral that ends in self-loathing and a half-baked life.

Everyday, we make mistakes, and everyday we learn new things - it is with compassion for dear life that we are taught such lessons. Even if are not recipients of compassion in a certain event, we must strive to give it away. It is not easy, but it is not impossible.

All people are children in some respect, and adults in another: Some might behave with immaturity when it comes to love, some when it comes to money, and others may be very adult in dealing with these and other topics.

I would too, in some cases, as you would. We must be compassionate, we must be understanding and patient, for we may expect others to behave suchly too.

And if we can't be compassionate (loving, forgiving, understanding, patient, and a hundred other synonyms) we must not be hurtful. That is easy. 

While reading a book

If you ever feel unmotivated while reading a book, I have found a very interesting way to keep regain that motivation.

Open up the book to a random page, somewhere towards the beginning of the second half of the book and start reading. You will find that interest come back.

Once that motivation is back, and curiosity to get till that part - start reading from where you left off!

Try it, let me know if it works, or if you do something else to bring that motivation back!

- Trb

The things that make us secure

It is natural to find security in people and things around us. It's also natural to let these define us, whether it's right or wrong is another thing altogether.

But such a security, that is rooted in the existence of others in our lives can naturally make us insecure: the fear of losing these people or things can make us want to be rooted and dedicated to them even more.

When security itself makes you insecure, what does one do? The philosophical answer is that the loss of things that make you secure makes you even more secure in the long term, but the real answer is that they create disastrous results: Some take to drugs, alcohol or self-demeaning behavior. Others feel depressed, and yet some others keep going on.


It is very important to know that anything that makes us secure has the power to make us even more insecure once we lose them, and to know that nothing by itself defines us as a whole. It is a combination of how we feel about every aspect of our life that can define us and make us secure.

The loss of a loved one, for example. Even before having loved, we must have been aware that losing them is a possibility. Same goes for business. Even before making money we know that we can lose it.

It is the knowledge that we must be secure in knowing that we can find again what we have once found (whether it be love or money or people or things), that makes us want to go on and not lose hope.

It is inevitable that you will get over and over again what you once got, only if you have the same determination that you once had.

- TRB

PS. To my readers in Finland: "Hei, Tervetuloa!" & to those in Germany: "Hallo, Willkommen!"

On experiences: Easier said than done

Much of what I write here can be put into the "easier said than done" category. Some of what I say can be practically applied today.

I don't quite like that mindset. Why do we learn math in third grade (or second grade, or first)? Because these are essential knowledge-tools that will help us overcome something tomorrow. Same goes for any other subject, same goes for such "philosophical" or "easier said than done" talks.

Knowing is the first step in overcoming, or growing - It's the essence of a better person. Shunning anything because of an "easier said than done" attitude is negative.

Some things you learn can be applied today, some will need to be applied tomorrow. Knowing is important in that if you ever come to any hurdle that obstructs your path - you've already "known" about it as a concept, when the experience hits, you'll know it for real - and you will have an upper hand.

On comparison with others

I find it quite hard to not compare myself with others. That's a normal human trait - it's a starter of ambitions  on the bright side, and jealousy on the other.

There is something more important that comparing with others that we must keep in mind: everybody is on their own journey, in their own battles with life. What works for one may not work for another, and What one has achieved may not even make another happy, even if they are alike in all ways.

Then there is the obvious How do I know what Im doing with my life? How successful I am? It is hard to find inward success benchmarks - and that's why we look outward.

Instead of using the achievements of others as a benchmark, and comparing ourselves with them, we must use it as a point of reference. "I can achieve this, or I can achieve that, which one do I want to?" It's all about balance: What someone else has achieved must not be your goal, but instead a reference to what you would like to have done - that will certainly give you perspective into what success means to you inwardly.

I have found it liberating to not compare myself with others; I can really focus on what I want. Selfish as it may seem, but it is no more selfish than wanting what others have, by comparing oneself to another. I find I can now just know what others have achieved by 22, and keep it in the back of my mind of things "i want to do if I will". Better than being distraught on not having achieved it.

This works because time is a relative concept: not all 40 year-olds are alike, some are more mature, some are less. Some know more, some know less. It's all relative, ofcourse, and that's why it doesnt mean much to compare just based on arbitrary factors.

Finally, today is as good a time to start working towards what you want to achieve as any!

The less you know

We are constantly taught that knowledge is everything, and to a certain degree its true.

There are times, however, when we are better off knowing less. This is mostly the case when our knowledge is the "judgement" or the "instinct" of others on a particular subject.

What this does is cloud our own instincts with those of the others.

Knowing less, and instinctively "feeling" more is more powerful, than knowing only.

Rules for driving

Yesterday as I was walking on Marine drive, I saw something horrific: two guys on a two wheeler, driving really fast in the middle of the road, skid. There was a huge/heavyweight truck right behind them, and as they looked behind, the horror on their faces was amazing. It was the face of death.

I have started driving again, and I feel it important to make some rules for myself - stuff that will save me from such incidents, even though I'm in a car.

1. Don't drive faster than 60 in a city road.

2. There is NO rush to get anywhere. If I have to "rush" then I'm lte already. May as well be another 20 minutes late.

3. Don't take the car everywhere. I don't want to get used to that luxury. This has two benefits: I get time to read, write and think, and I get to meet/see various kinds of people.

If I'm used to the car, there may be a time when I would just feel negative (and spoil my mood) if I have to take public transport.

Considering there are so many people who don't realize this, or they realize and don't apply it, I don't wish to add myself to that list.

4. Finally, I want to enjoy each moment of driving. A car is a modern marvel - it gives us a sort of superpower - of getting to places fast. If in traffic, I'd rather play the music and wait rather than honk. Honking doesn't do much other than spoiling my mood.

That's it!

Peace & love people!
Trb

On confident people

As I meet new people, and get stronger spritiually and personally by learning frm their experiences, I have come to realize one thing:

Nobody really is sure about the future, as much as they seem confident and fearless. Some people are just surer about themselves more than some others. Its the confidence in one's ability to overcome obstacles that makes a difference, not by "being sure" about the future.

For me, I'm positive that this assuredness in myself will come from repeated failures - as has been the case in the past - and from meeting truly genuine people who may not be the most powerful, but are the most driven and grounded.

Finally, experience matters - but flexibility and perseverance matters even more. You may have failed once in something, but not because of an intrinsic fault within you or the idea, but because the time wasn't right - knowing this and coming back to that idea when the time is right is more important that experiencing that failure and never trying again.

Peace & Love
Trb

On the force of life

I'm convinced that there is no "god" as we speak of in the traditional sense. No heaven and hell.

Seeing the way the world is made - good and bad, extravagant and simple - makes me believe that the universe balances itself. There is absolutely no need for an external force to regulate it.

The "force" that really is God, is in and itself of this world. Nothing external, because nothing external is required.

Its a hypothesis, yes, but so is every *other* religion. Seeing as the hindu vedas explain how everything in this world is made of smaller and smaller parts (referring to, perhaps, atoms, quarks etc) and so does science, independently and of its own accord - and even those smaller parts have anti-particles, I am convinced that this world comes to a PERFECT equilibrium at all points in "time".

That said, if we find the balance in nature; if we see ourselves as a part of it and not apart from it, perhaps we can attain that balance too.

Like most things in life, If we don't see that balance, its not because it doesn't exist, its because we don't have the right glasses.

On second chances and affection

1. Everyone makes mistakes.

Those who are understanding and forgiving, and calm to explain and let go of those mistakes are truly wise men. We must strive to be that way - for we could be placed in the same situation, and we would want to be treated differently.

2. Everyone likes to be wanted and loved.

Tell someone you care about that you do care about them. It will invariably make them happy, and feel great. It'll make them feel more confident, that they have someone to bank on in times of need, whether they want to use it or not!

Just a thought I thought I'd share with y'all :)

On chasing things

We spend most of our lives chasing things, people and dreams that we think we want.

Seldom are they what we really want - they're gathered images of a life we see in others, and the look happy - so we want it for our ownselves.

Truth is, if we take a step back, and let life do the chasing, and let go of the need to control that chase, we are often better off, and happier for the things that happen the way they do.

Changing the world

Don't try to change the world. The futility of your actions will make you abhor our beautiful world. Instead focus on just living according to how you ought the world lived, and know that you are bringing positive change through yourself. If you get an opportunity to help someone though, to overcome a physical or a mental hurdle, don't let that go.

Responsibility

When one has a child, or an equivalent responsibility, every action must be thought of as what kind of an effect it would have on that child.

Clearly many of us seem to forget that. This leads to hypocrisy - we don't want others to do what we do because it is irresponsible, but at the same time we do it because its easy. Why such hypocrisy?

(For an example, think of the last time you drove rashly because you were in a hurry, you wouldn't want your son/daughter to do that because its unsafe)

Yes, its easier but that only shows how irresponsible one is in his own mind.

You could argue that you are more experienced that your child is, but that's not enough of an excuse to effect them with irresponsible actions.

This is not to blame, to point, but merely to advance an introspection. Think about it.

Experience

We must not confuse being experienced with being open-minded. A truly experienced person knows that disbelief isn't really an option: Everyday, new things happen that change your perception about a lot of things. Experience, at the heart of it, is to know how to deal with disbelief and keep an open mind.

Between choice and control

In reading a translation of the Bhagavad Gita, I came across an interesting point about Krishna's philosophy: whether you are on the top of the mountains in peace, or in the middle of the battlefield, your goal must be at peace.

It is quite practical actually, because the other option is to complain about it (which is less practical) or find a way out (more practical).

There might however be times when we not be able to find a way just yet, so it would only help to be at ease and relaxed in all situations - whatever they may be, and after finding or creating an opportunity, get out of it.

Both the "practical" and the "more practical" solutions require effort on our part - intellectual, knowledge-based effort - where we observe what situations are holding us back, what we would rather the situation be, and taking action to overcome the hurdles.

The unpractical - and certainly more common - is to complain and expend energy on how bad things are. And how life is unfair and so on. (This is also a reason I both dislike and disregard gossip.)

Either way we are expending energy, so may as well expend it on the solutions that make our lives better.

Peacefulness at the end of it all is a state of mind. think about it: good things and bad things happen to all people in life. Some look at it and stay at peace, some break down.

To be peaceful and to know that a time will come when redemption will be a possibility, is the most practical choice. The choice is ours at all times in life, even if the control isnt.

Something for women

I had an amazing experience recently: when a woman is crying, and a man says something that makes them smile just a little bit. I believe that there isn't a better instant when she looks more beautiful.

I can't tell why, but its about the instant where both happiness and sadness manifest, sort of like hope itself manifests through them.

This is for all you women, things people do may make you cry, but remember to smile even then, that's your most beautiful

Signed,
TRB

Professionalism? Proactiveness?

I had a damn fine last weekend. Went to Lonavla, partied, played some music and generally learned a lot of new things. Even after a long night, we woke up at 7am and went trekking on the nearest hill. On the way we talked about religion and people and stopped by a few temples too.

On my way back, the driver we hired talked quite a bit - he wanted to have conversations, not just talk. I loved it! Of course I would not have mind some quite time, but this guy actually had a lot to say - and most of all, even before getting into the car, he made sure all the specifics of the trip weremade known very clearly. He couldn't have been more than 24.

He talked to everyone he met, and struck conversations with people he didn't know. It was quite great to see such a social animal. One doesn't often find such people - confident and secure and communicative, and specially one who's happy too. What we find is people who are too scared to talk to strangers, people who are too insecure to strike up conversations.

It was a welcome change.

By no means do I mean this as a bad thing about humanity, but it's something that is innate in human nature - I just observe it.

Regardless, This man's upbeat disposition has stayed with me, and If I can't act on the learning from his positives, at least I must learn something from it.

For now, I'm still going back to reminiscing about the weekend.

The Caste Divisions

In an interesting conversation I had with a friend yesterday, we were talking about the Vedas and the implication on humanity. We stumbled upon the subject of the Caste system on which India is so thoroughly rooted. The Vedas explain that there are 

• Brahmins (scholars, teachers, etc.,) 
• Vaishyas (agriculturists, traders, bankers etc.,) 
• Kshatriyas (kings, warriors, law enforcers, administrators),
• Shudras (artisans, craftsmen, service providers), and 
• "untouchables" (people who dealt with cremating bodies, foreigners, nomads and tribespeople)

These were monks with amazing knowledge of the universe and humanity, if not of more things. They could control their mind, and they could stop the moment with their breath, and they could go through amazing physical pain. and the vedic knowledge was fit for them.

This is where the interesting part came. The Vedas were then brought into the hands of regular folks. These regular folks couldn't do and think on the same level as the monks could, and neither did they have the proper initiation to be able to take on such knowledge as provided by the Vedas. 

Perhaps they took it all literally. 

Perhaps, what the Vedas were trying to tell us was that each individual falls into any of these categories. The regular folks tried to be rigid and do as the Veda told, and divided man. Now each person, born into a family of a certain "caste" ended up being labeled as that caste. 

If the Vedas said that each individual had his individual capacity to become any of these, then the regular folks did not comprehend it. 

The Vedas, thus became the book to live by. Not the book that aids living.

Such is also the tragedy of many other religions, but regardless, I believe that the "Caste system" wasn't quite meant to be the way we see it, or have seen it in history.

How to get started

The number one problem that haunted me for over two years of my life, specially when I was in college, was “getting started” with what I really wanted to do. I am a type A personality, and I like to have a lot on my plate. But for over two years, I couldnt get started on a diet, or an entrepreneurial venture, or the gym among other things.

Even if I did start, I left it half way. After some introspection, I came to realize what the reasons behind not getting started on things I really wanted to do were. I also realized that

• not only is starting something easy, it’s also fun.
• It makes you a better better person
• It makes you more confident, and
• introduces you to a lot of like-minded people.
• It also makes your life more interesting to an outsider

ALL of this, and all we have to do is start. But there are so many things stopping us. These are mostly mental hurdles that we set for ourselves. Not to be cliche’d but to paraphrase what Henry Ford said

Whether you think you can or cannot, you’re right.

Some of these mental hurdles are:

1. Fear of failure: It’s like having a horse, but even before getting on it, we believe that because we are going to fall once or twice, we’ll never learn how to do ride it. You’re better off knowing that failure is an integral part of success. The opposite of success is not failure, it’s giving up.
2. Feeling overwhelmed: It is very easy for someone just starting out to feel overwhelmed. We are constantly exposed to so many new people, new concepts, new ideas, that the mind is just not used to so much newness. If we balance our focus on the details as well as the big picture, We won’t be as overwhelmed. By just starting, we’ve come a long way, and it is important to celebrate that success, yet not forget that there is still a long way to go.
3. Losing interest: sometimes we plan to start out something, and we almost do it. until it’s crunch time. then hurdle #2 takes over and we become overwhelmed. So we just decide that it’s not for us. That is just our mind justifying why we can’t do something. We can.
4. Not knowing how to go about it: There is the internet today, and almost everything is easy to find. Like if you’re looking for a diet plan, it’s quiet easy to find; or if you’re looking for a workout plan, that’s easy to find too. But there might be things we know very little about that keep us from doing it, and on the flipside, there might be too many things that we “want” to do, that keep us from doing any of them. For example, if I want to be a writer, musician, actor, and a dancer, I need to balance out my time amongst all of them, or pick one at a time. We can’t all do everything, we need to balance or pick just one activity to do.
5. lack of patience: We all need to be patient, things don’t happen instantly. You aren’t born instantly, and you do not grow up instantly. Experience takes time, and greatness takes time. That’s why we value both so much. In our world of instant gratification we have come to believe that everything happens instantly. 
6. Lack of realistic goals: This should be #1 in any hurdle list, but Im putting this last because it must stay with you. We have to assess our strengths and our weaknesses before setting out goals. This is not to say that you CANNOT do something, but it just means that you MAY NOT be able to do something at this point in life.

At the end, each of us is one person, and we have just one life as ourselves, doing one activity at a time and enjoying it and doing things slowly is very important. Knowing that there is a lot to do, but then again, there is also tomorrow is of paramount importance. Not everything happens in an instance. great things, do indeed, take time.

If somebody somewhere can do something you want to do, why can’t you?

If you’ve been planning to start out something, but hesitating due to such hurdles, I hope this helps you in starting out and keeping at it, strongly!
If you have face other hurdles, and would like to share, please comment :)

Thought

I thought I'd share this with you all lovely peoples:

Don't try to shatter anyones dream. If they are delusional, try to talk them through it, and let them come to a conclusion by themselves. And if they still do not understand, life itself will help. Just don't take destruction into your own hands, whether physical or mental.

With this, the weekend begins for me and I'm about to go into hibernation.

Peace & Love
Tarun B

Live webcast by The @DalaiLama

I follow the Dalai Lama on twitter, and I came across a post where he mentioned about a live webcast on “the introduction of Buddhism to young Tibetans”. Of course tibetans doesn’t mean that the outsiders who are interested will be restricted from participating and learning about Buddhism.

If you are interested as well, as I am, you can go to dalailama.com/liveweb at 9am IST, which is roughly 1130pm EST. The webcast is on June 3rd and 4th. (Both at the same time)

Even if you’re not buddhist, this may be a great experience in general to learn about life.
Peace & Love

the meditation mystery

[This original post appeared at 2lookwithin.tumblr.com]

In the last post, I discussed how it is important for us to meditate in order to get over restlessness. But it is very true that meditation is something of a mystery to many. Some of the questions include:
• Why must we meditate?
• How is it valuable?
• How does it enhance my life?
• I’m not patient! How can you expect me to meditate?


These are very real and very important questions that must be answered and understood even before going into meditation. The reason for this is simple: once you have started meditating, doubting the effectiveness of it, however effective it is, will make all your achievements worthless.
So understanding the answers to these questions (and perhaps many more) are very important.


1. Why must one meditate?
There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, to focus. it will make an undeniable single pointed mind that knows that it wants. Secondly, to let the mind rest. When the mind is focused, it is at peace. It does not wander around aimlessly. And thirdly, to be introspective. It will help you understand yourself better.


2. How is it valuable? & 3. How does it enhance my life?
In addition to the reasons outlied above, meditation helps you figure out who you really are. In our world of constant “doing”, we have very little time to think. Meditation can aid us in “being” instead of just thinking.


4. I’m not patient. How can you expect me to meditate?
I believe this is a problem for many of us. If a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, then a peaceful and self-contained mind will have to begin with just seconds of meditation, if not more.
I used to have this problem. I overcame it by thinking about just one thing for 30 seconds at a time and breathing deeply. Once 30 seconds became easy, I added on another 30 seconds.

It has worked like a charm.

Patience will develop itself, if you plan to develop yourself.

Meditation is a mystery for many of us, and of course, it is not by speaking about it that one can uncover the mystery, but by doing. If you have tried it, and succeeded, or are still trying it, tell us about your experiences in the comments.

Try it today. :)

How to get over restlessness

When I first moved back to India after my graduation, I ran into a couple of people who would carry around a mantra bead and chant as they were going about their daily life. 

My thoughts were: This cannot be freedom? If one is constantly carrying around beads and reciting mantras then he isn't really free. If religion excuses you from this world to be free, and instead, you do such chanting, it can't be freedom.

I didn't see many more people who chanted as such until a few days ago. After talking to them, I felt enlightened. There were a couple of reasons he mentioned for his constant chanting. (He is in his mid-20s and quite like any other fresh grad we would know). These are his words, to the best of my memory:

"My mind was constantly running around in circles, thinking of a thousand things I want to do with my life. I couldn't get anything accomplished, because I wanted to do so much and I was quite overwhelmed at all times. There was a point when I just gave up doing anything at all. Then I went to a temple where I sat to simply recite some mantras that I had grown up with, and I felt that my mind was quite focused on only these mantras. It was sort of meditative and it made me do what was needed to be done - as in the things I wanted to do - and whenever I wasn't doing anything, I keep chanting these mantras. 

Of course I was quite interested to know more, so I prodded with a few more questions on his philosophy

"Well, obviously the free mind is an illusion if you are constantly worried about all the things you want to do. and obviously there is an endless list of things to do. So if Im not free while Im doing what i want to do, then i'd much rather not be free and not worry about how I'm not doing them at all? You could think about doing a hundred things, or you could simply just do them as they come to your mind without thinking about them all the time

I asked him if he had tried to keep a task list/To-do list. That's the most "normal" thing we all do:

"Yes. And things kept piling on. Then I made categories. Then I prioritized within the categories. I tried to keep up, but it doesn't work. This works for me.

What about what people think?

Of course, I know I look like a lunatic walking around the streets talking to myself and moving the beads in a circular motion. I don't mind it. It makes me feel free. I'd rather have a restful mind than an image of abnormality

Amazing stuff, I thought. I have experienced such restless episodes myself, but Im quite sure I'm not going to take up meditating 24/7.


After talking to him, and thinking about how I could use his experience, I think finding a balance in meditating is very important: Only meditate when I'm feeling restless. Of course a major push will be needed to take the mind from a state of restlessness to only agreeing to meditate. But otherwise, one may not be able to overcome restlessness at all.

Finally, Meditating is not only chanting. It can be anything so long as your mind is fixed upon one goal - whatever it may be - 

• a word
• your breath
• a thought
• an object (even the floor), or
• as is most popular in the west: taking a thoughtful and meditative walk

Any thoughts? You can add them in the comments below.