Diversity

the world, or creation as a whole, in indeed a wondrous place : infinite diversity, infinite combinations

yet, what is diversity ?  in its simplest definition, we understand it to be "difference"

where does this difference spring from and how does it affect us ?

if we believe in a concept of God, we will say everything comes from God... so far, so good.

here's where it seems to fall apart, if everything comes from god, it then that same "everything" must be pervaded by the very same god - just as a gold bracelet is pervaded by the essence of gold - hence, what makes us see the diversity and not the the god in all ?

i look at me, i see my fingers, toes, arms, legs - all look so different ... where within this mass do i not exist ?  with what part of myself am i comfortable axing off ?  none !  why ? because i feel, i KNOW, it's all part of me ... i encompass it all - nothing is superfluous.

yet, we are unable to extend this feeling outward and recognize Him in every aspect of creation, including ourself !

We pray, then we so easily harm ( with both deed and speech ) an expression of the very entity we offer oblations to .. how hypocritical and utterly foolish.

diversity is word without substance - it is an absurd concept.   we see it only because our vision is flawed.

Only He is.  
Look again...

live well.

Reflect...

words are not knowledge

knowledge is not wisdom

wisdom is not the Truth.

each is a stepping stone... one must read, of course, then re-read and again re-read... ponder, question, grasp the nuances.

once a glimmer of comprehension arises, start trying to live the life indicated by what you have read...

once it has evolved from an experiment to a life style, then become firmly established in what you now know to be valid, you have tried it yourself and seen it's power - then the words you started with long ago garner a life, energized by your own expression of those ideals.

the figure of a sun carved on a cave wall cannot dispel darkness !

we are lazy, we find excuses, we pander to others and we guard our misery with a jealous frenzy.  we say we want to change, we want to be at peace, we want joy yet we do not actively pursue these goals - if anything, we run as fast as we can in the opposite direction !  how curious :)

there is no new way. no secret. no magic ... everything that points to the Truth has been laid bare for us - it is up to you - and only you.

reading is good, but simply reading, putting the book down and allowing yourself to fall into a practiced instantaneous amnesia will get you nowhere.

reflect, assimilate and do until the do-ing naturally stops for then you simply merge with what Is.

Live Well.

Starting Point:

a third grader cannot discuss metaphysics, neither can he revel in its sublime realm.

even if he is given the raw data, the subject matter simply exceeds his capacity to comprehend it.

such is the feeling most have when asked about "God" - they are either overwhelmed or have no opinion and the worst of the lot are simply dismissive of the whole "concept".

so where does one start if one want to meet his Maker ?

if your goal is within the confines of the relative, then it is relatively easy :)
as long as one is disciplined in study, any subject matter can be mastered if the due diligence is applied. but what prompts this focus - this single pointed devotion to that hallowed degree on the wall ? it is simply that the end game is clear and its reward, already had by many, is evident.

if, however, the aspiration is the Divine, then neither do most know the nature of the goal they seek nor is the path clear - so many varied roads and every prophet laying claim to knowing the only way Home.

back to the question at hand : where do we start ? oddly enough,  at the same place - discipline.

what sort of preparation is needed for this mystical voyage into the the lap of the Lord? what equipment do we possess to embark on this journey and how do we sharpen that tool to slash through the haze of our confusion and the drudgery of our mundane existence ?

the mind : you know you have one, so use it !
first prepare it, then as an anvil, forge your faith upon it and finally, go beyond it - to where your Being exceeds your very concept of what is real and you finally rest in Consciousness.

this initial step of preparation cannot be over emphasized:  what does one do with this rampant, unruly mind : 3 things - the quantity of thoughts must be reduced ( this will automatically enhance the silence ), the quality of thoughts be be elevated ( love, service, compassion, etc. ) and finally the direction of the mind must turn towards the Divine ( this will serve to enhance the first two )

just as a river in spate must be shored up, so too, must your mind - but this is just the starting point - the tool is now prepped !

once the mind is quiet, sharp and poised, the journey can truly start.

live well.

Listen to me !

i am older, i am wiser, i know - so just listen to me...

sound familiar ?  we were annoyed when spoken to thus and i am sure we annoy others when we say it..

let's look at what we are intimating with these words :

first and foremost, we are taking the "god" principal out of the equation and supplanting it with "me, me and only me "... what we know changes daily, so really, we don't know!  if we did, we would be happy ourselves, but obviously aside from the infinitesimal fleeting moments of non-misery that we assume is happiness, most of our lives are, well, not so happy .. we lack peace, contentment nor have we experienced silence - we are, instead, filled with fear, anger and doubt - so how much could we possibly  really "know" !

if anyone needs to be heard, it's that Universal Consciousness ( call it whatever you want as per your religion or lack thereof ) - herein lies the rub : do you know how to listen; can you yourself hear it ?  if not, don't preach what you don't know and if you do, what need is there to speak - for you know, all is the way it should be for it can be no other way.... have faith in your faith !

of course, it's easy to give advice ( no one ever asks " is that how you live ?" or " do your really follow what you are suggesting?" )   don't speak as words inevitably fall on deaf ears; Be the advice - live it, radiate it and let all those around soak it up and be drenched ...

if you are the one they need to hear it from, they will be directed to you and they will ask....

He alone knows.  He alone speaks ... be available to Him and He shall flow through you... if you are too full of yourself, you leave no room for Him.

so shut up and live well ...

Moral dilemmas : fact or fiction ?

I am not sure what to do...

really ?

or should it be phrased as :  i lack the courage to follow my publicly stated belief dogma ( may i suggest you actually look up the meaning of the word )

the truth simply is what it is .. and if you think otherwise, then whatever you determine the truth to be, seek it and follow the yellow brick road till you reach it, merge with it and Be it !

so where does the dilemma factor in ?  regardless of a religion, philosophy or lack thereof, any particular situation has to be faced based on your core belief.  if you find yourself unable to do so, then the intrinsic code in your programming that you deem to be your CORE belief is damaged - it needs to be microscopically investigated and honestly re-written.

if there is a conflict within, there is no true expression of your truth ... it is easy to say " things are not always that simple" - granted that is true - but even so, deep down, in the recesses of your essence that only you can choose to explore or ignore, the path is illumined and the choice is clear;  not easy, but clear.

the only question is : do you have the courage to walk the path that you have chosen and give expression to that person you envision yourself to be.

live well.

Ideology vs Action

almost everyone knows what is wrong and what is right .. many even preach it till the end of days !

yet when life happens, why the paradoxical confusion ?

what cripples us ?  we stumble, fall and inevitably drown in the regret of our digressions ... a pitiful bundle of sorrow and self loathing !

what an awful state of existence ... but why ?  what compels us to be so utterly stupid: once is even forgivable, but we do it again and again and again and ..

oddly enough, it is really no big secret - desire !

desire and it's younger sister, anger, wreck havoc within our psyche - this constant agitation of the mind, its resulting uncontrollable impatience, boil over into sheer animalistic rage and all the gates come crashing down.. self annihilation - or as a wise man once said " pop goes the weasel ! "

we will do anything, rationalize it all, just to get what we think we want, what we feel we need and of course, 2 year later, we don't even remember what it was or why we felt it was soooo important !

and the ensuing sorrow, the hurt caused, loved ones ignored, all those bridges burnt - for what ?

we compromised our soul and in return we bought a mirage ... the ultimate con:  perpetuated by ourselves upon ourselves ...

how truly foolish !

fortunately, it's never too late to be what one envisions one can be - discipline, courage and the truth are all you need on your side... the rest will follow.

live well.

The Opposite

they say the universe is a big place, i'll have to take their word for it as i have yet to travel across it ... but i would venture that it pales in comparison to the expanse that is our mind - thousands of years of evolution and billions of entities have yet to map it out !

thoughts - so many thoughts - incredible !

the underlying motif, though, seems to rest on the platform of our own universe of opposites... likes/dislikes, fears/joys, wants/aversions ... sounds like a messy place and all contained within the parameters of our own mind, carving out for each, their own little world.... they say we all share the same world, but in truth, we all live in our own and sometimes, we share a little of it with each other :)

so how does one exist in the chaos of the world of opposites and more importantly,  how can it be transformed into a brilliant cosmos of harmony ?

but why should i want that ?  well, the need for order ( internally ) seems to stem from the unrelenting need : "i want to be happy" - this elusive search for happiness has insidiously implanted into our psyche an impression that if i have this and avoid that, i will be happy.

however, this and that are essentially inert and as such, are incapable of "giving" anything, be it joy or sorrow.  hence, the same object, say a computer, can be a source of joy for one, and a misery for another... so it has  absolutely nothing to do with the computer but rather our "relationship" with it .. the extension of ourself to envelope the object and thereby assigning to it, a capacity to influence our state of mind.

the spider is now caught in its own web !  how tragic...

so tread carefully... with vigilant awareness of what truly Is, and what merely seems to be...

live well.

Do it !

it's great to have discussions - clears out the cob-webs and sheds new light - sharpens understanding and provides a catalyst to ...

well, that's the point... after all the discussions, what do most do ?

an argument is quite different from a discussion - one is done to ram your point of view down someone else's throat while being deaf to the other's opinion, while a discussion is between two individuals who actually want clarification or an alternative viewpoint while keeping an open mind in the hope of self-evolution.

back to the discussion at hand :)

if said discussion leads you to accept the alternative opinion, then thinking should be ignited ... an attempt to assimilate this new viewpoint .... simply talking and then walking is a colossal waste of time, which is already in critical short supply : even if the discussion serves only to further cement your own belief or philosophy, then what ... what's the next step ?

Living it !

Bring that philosophy to bear in your daily living .. moment to moment, in every experience, let it shine through - be a beacon, not by the mere noisy, forceful need to inculcate but by a serene expression of such a belief through your existence so that others are drawn to you by the sheer emanation of that peace and silence that all yearn for...

let your life bear witness to your belief - then words are no longer needed -metamorphosis from student to master simply happens - and behold : life, YOUR life, becomes HIS Expression ...

live well.

Is it True ?

so what is true ?

not relatively true but TRUE ...

ok, let's go relative first... from our current perspective gravity is true .. but why do you believe that ?  why do we not take the stand, " i don't care what people say, but i don't believe in gravity ! "    We don't because we know that if we walk off our balcony, we WILL fall !   so, such truth is accepted via empirical assertion.

now, what about Truth in relation to philosophy or a God.   is god the truth ?  is there a god ?

some say no, others say yes.

here's what i don't get .. what have you done to validate either standpoint ?

unless there is a single pointed enquiry into such a truth by oneself ( not hear-say, lectures or affirmations by others )  to the point where it can be experienced by oneself for oneself; only then, can such a Truth be truly "seen".

stop using our sages, swamis, pastors and popes as mules .. they cannot carry you to your god on their backs ... strap up, and start the journey for your self ... put a little effort into it - in fact, if you are really so adamant about either stand point, put all your effort into it !

and when you get to where all merge into the All, we'll chat again :)

live well.

More !

What is more and why does one want more ?

more cars would refer to having in addition to ..
same goes for most things and ditto for money ..

so we all want more ...

but why ?

because we are under the impression more of anything will equate to more happiness...

but does it ?

i can comprehend the concept of wanting more till one's basic needs are fulfilled and maybe even up to the point of a little excess of basic need.

but when we get to wants, then we are entering into whole new realm.. the ever expanding universe of greed.

a wise man once said, there is enough for everyone's need yet never for even one man's greed.

so when is enough enough ?

let's go back to the why ... we say "because then we will be happy" which would mean that the richest man in the world should be the happiest ... but by sheer simple observation, we know that is not the case.

we see quiet old men across the globe who are as happy as the infinite rolling waves .. just being, content, serene and equipoise... their contentment does not flow from the doctrine of "more" - what is their secret ?  from whence does their smile emanate ?

perhaps when we get to the point where our needs are met, we should place a pause on the "more" and investigate the "how", the "why" and the "who" ...

but only if you are interested in being "more" at peace :)

live well.

Why me ?

the hindu's have it easy .. they can dump everything on Karma ... Voila! problem solved .. they know the answer..

karma says every effect has a cause.
christianity says:  as you sow, so shall you reap, do as to others as you would have them do unto you ...

so it's not only the hindus - every belief apparently has something along the same lines !

bottom line : nothing is arbitrary

here's what i don't get : if you know the "why", then why not change ?   i mean, if you're gonna keep doing what you did, you're only gonna get what you got !  no big surprise there :)

yet change ( being the only change-less law ) seems to have to be wrenched out of most - nature seems to have to slap you across the face real hard ( most don't seem to respond to gentle nudges ) and only then, is one inclined to apply oneself to change.

to re-cap : you are not happy, yet you do nothing ( intrinsically ) to alter that state of misery ... superficial stuff doesn't count .. i am referring here to a shift in consciousness .. an alteration in the cosmic view of your existence.

a life of excessive indulgence, self absorption and superficiality are increasingly the goal.  i want more and more but i wanted it all handed to me ... i want to do nothing but have everything.  can someone explain the math to me ?

in terms of material objects, that is just stupid but in terms of life as a whole, it is tantamount to suicide !

so here's the answer to "why me" - because you willed it; by your thoughts, your deeds and your words - it's all on you !  no back stage pass here and no get out of jail card !

now the only remaining question is : what are you going to do to change it :)

live well.

Punctuations ..

life seems to be full of .. well, it just seems to be full !

people are rushing ( to go back to where they just came from )
they say they are stressed ( even when they are not doing anything )
blackberries are beeping
iphones are tinging

so what's all this about ?   can someone tell me what's just sooooo important ??

i'm presuming most are going to say "work" and why work ? cos you need money ... that seems like a fair response.. everyone needs money, right ?

right :)

so now what about the rich people ?  they have money .. but same thing ... ahhh, they want more money...

ok...

so what about the uber rich ?  oh, they want power so they need to network so that they can BE somebody...

got it.

and so it goes on, and on, and on....

and so we bundle it all up, and we call this life ...    well that kinda sucks ... doesn't sound like much of a life to me .....

i mean, if life is defined as the time we are allotted from that smack on our ass so we take our first breath to the moment of our final exhalation, then that's not really a whole lot of time ( comparative to creation as a whole - no discussion of creation here, please ).

so sometimes STOP
just stop.
now take a deep breath,
and actually try living, maybe loving and definitely smiling.

we need some time out from life to remind ourselves of the miracle that we are alive !

so now ?

well, i can't give you all the answers !

Belief vs Life ( in verse )

At the Edge,

Feeling the difference,

Knowing there should be none...

One tentative step forward,

A deep breath,

The abyss or The Absolute.

I let go.....

I let it all go...

Time stops.

Space implodes.

Thought ceases.

All is and I am All...

Silent...

Complete.

The Journey ends where it begins.

In me, from me, to myself.

And yet it never was...

Belief vs Life

i cannot count the number of times i have heard someone say " I believe in God "

now from my investigations, most "gods" have several things in common :

they are supposed to be everywhere
they can do anything
they love us

they are several other common traits amongst the gods of various religions but the above 3 seem to be almost universal.

so we have a god and we say we believe in said god.. now comes the fun part : how does said "belief" translate from the page of the text or the sermon propagated in hushed crowds into our daily living ?

everywhere is EVERYWHERE !  or to be pedantic, god cannot not be anywhere ... now if we believe this, we simply cannot dislike anyone or get angry or be petty as these emotions or thoughts would then be directed at god although in the same breath, they would seem to originate from god ( since our mind and emotions are part of the "everywhere" )

so what happened to our "belief" ?

of course, i could go on ad nauseam about all aspects of everyone's god and the resulting belief system but the point is this : if you believe, does your life bear witness to this belief and if not, who are you trying to kid ?  others or yourself ? and ultimately, at what cost ?

there are, of course, various aspects of higher philosophies that may wish to argue that the entire question is incorrect and hence moot.  i agree,  so let's not argue - that is, if you actually put those philosophies into practice.   remember, thinking you understand something is not the same as living it ( or pretending to live it )

let's see how we live today.

i have been observed by someone with a keen eye and been advised to blog.

the concept is alien to me so it may become a daily occurrence or it may fade into oblivion. either way, i will have experienced it and isn't that all part of the existence of Now.

first the premise.

i am under the impression that i am on a journey of Self discovery: so the musings will be primarily upon what i read ( currently various Vendantic texts ),  how i see those observations present themselves, my reaction to them and finally ( hopefully ) dissolving into the Silence before all was.

as was pointed out by the aforementioned observer, i am not a "blind faith" follower and hence can be, at times, irreverent even to the most sacred of texts ( obviously due to my own lack of understanding ) and the holy men, as judged by their followers, as i have no way to gauge the level of contact or communion they have with their own personal gods or to their degree of absorption into the All that Is.

hmmm, seems like a lot to do... yet oddly enough, there is truly nothing to do... so for now, let us just Be.