Interreligious and Intercultural Unity

Temple is a 6 letter word,

Church is a 6 letter word,

Mosque is a 6 letter word

Geeta is a 5 letter word,

Bible is a 5 letter word,

Quran is a 5 letter word.

To be good and to do good that is the whole of religion.-------  Swami Vivekanand

Negative thinkers focus on problems.  Positive thinkers focus on solutions.

Try not to be a man of success but rather try to become a man of value. ---Einstein

The rains of God's mercy cannot gather on mountaintops of pride, but flow easily into the valleys of humbleness.

When you will leave your "I", you will be left with the biggest wealth of faith in the Universal Spirit!

Meditation trains the brain to be more present-focused and spend less time anticipating future negative events, thus reducing recurrence of depression which makes chronic pain considerably worse.

Any external pain making you distressed is more due to your own estimate of it, and you have the power to revoke it at any moment.

O Lord! Please tell me Thy will...and let Thy will be my will.

As you sow, so shall you reap. Sow well and you can earn a right to reap the best!

A calf has the capability to follow and find out its mother in a herd of thousands of cows. Similarly, doings of a man (karmas) in one birth follow him till any next birth, until they bear fruit. - Garuda Purana (A Sacred Hindu Text)

Millions and billions may pass trillions of times, but the doings of a man chase him out for sure. - Brahama Vaivatra Purana (A Sacred Hindu Text)

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. - St. Thomas Aquinas

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. - Mark Twain.

For the realization of the total truth, we need to reach from the worldly to the divine, from the gross to the subtle, from the material to the non-material, and from the external to the direction of the inner world.

Nobel Prize doesn't make one great, but selfless service does. And, everyone can be great because everyone can serve. - Martin Luther King Jr.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. - Mahatma Gandhi

Art of Living

Human Personality:

A person is always in one of the following 3 states:

Lack: In this state, person is normally worried about his future needs and feels deprived of them. For example, he/she doesn’t have a house, material wealth, gentle partner, success or a healthy job. He may think how can he arrange money for the education of his children in future. He is said to be in  Lack (in Hindi ‘अभाव’).  
    

Influence: Here, in this state, person is influenced by others remarks (good or bad) or status and feels happy or sad accordingly. By this influence, he may create problems for himself. For eg. by looking the new valuable car of his neighbor, one may be willing to purchase a costly car, although his pocket doesn’t allow for that. A lady does not wear proper warm clothes in the winter marriage and may fall ill. He is in Influence (in Hindi ‘प्रभाव’).

Nature: Here, the person feels self-satisfied. He is said to be in his Nature (in Hindi ‘स्वभाव’). This is the state to be achieved by everybody.

-- Tapan Kumar Mishra (Art of Living)

Human Life:

Human life is structured like an atom. In atoms, at outer orbits, negative charge particles (electrons) are moving. In core, positive and neutral particles (protons and neutrons) exist. Similarly, in the outer world, we feel problems, worries and negative attitude everywhere. But if we develop an inner sight and observe deeply  then we realize the joy, enthusiasm, bliss and positive attitude. If we observe the human personality at the surface level only, we can find the weaknesses of a person. However, our inner sight can see the hidden source of virtues in each and every personality. Every human being is unique and can be transformed in such a way that he become useful for the society. For eg., at the time of Gautam Buddha, there was a cruel dacoit named as Anguli-maal. When Buddha changed his views, he became a wonderful propagandist of the Buddha. Similarly, a street-walker named Aamra-Pali did a great job to spread Buddhism.

Dr. Hinohara

At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world’s longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara’s magic touch is legendary. Since 1941 he has been healing patients at Sr. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke’s College of Nursing. After World War.-II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo, thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation’s top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75^th birthday, including one “Living Long, Living Good” that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself,

Dr. Hinohara says,

            Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It’s best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.

            All people who live long regardless of nationality, race or gender share one thing in common: None are overweight…. For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work. Dinner is veggies and rice.

            Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016, I’ll have some fun though, I plan to attend to Tokyo Olympics!

            There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100 year old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100….Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.

            When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can’t cure everyone. So why cause unnecessary pain with surgery I think music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine. To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. I take two stairs at a time, to get my muscles moving.

            My inspiration is Robert Browning’s poem “Abt Vogler.” My father used to read it to me. It encourages us to make big art, not small scribbles. It says to try to draw a circle so huge that there is no way we can finish it while we are alive. All we see is an arch, the res is beyond our vision but it is there in the distance. Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke’s we have music and animal therapies, and art classes. Don’t be crazy about amassing material things. Remember” You don’t know when your number is up, and you can’t take it with you to the next place.

            Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. We designed St. Luke’s so we can operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought I was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. We accepted 740 victims and the two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly we lost one person, but we saved 739 lives, Science alone can’t cure or help people. Science lumps us all together, but illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, we need liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones. Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when I was 59 years old, I boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka, It was a beautiful sunny morning, and as Mount Fuji can into sight, the plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. I spent the next four days handcuffed to my seat in 40-degree heat. As a doctor, I looked as it all as an experiment and was amazed at how the body slowed down in a crisis.

            Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. My father went to the United States in 1900 to study at Duke University in North Carolina. he was a pioneer and one of my heroes. Later I found a few more life guides, and when I am stuck, I ask myself how they would deal with the problem. It’s wonderful to live log. Until one is 60 years old, it is easy to work for one’s family and to achieve one’s goals. But in our later years, we should strive to contribute to society. Since the age of 65, I have worked as a volunteer. I still put in 18 hour seven days a week and love every minute of it.

Sent by: Yash Paul Sighal

Perfect Health

Health is considered to be the first and foremost requirement of a person as it provides one with real happiness. To be healthy is to be happy. But, the notion of health needs to be understood in totality.

The first dimension of health refers to our physical will-being. Good physical health means a fit body- fitness of all limbs and organs of the body, so that they are flexible enough to move without any problem at our command. To be physically fit, one needs to be particular about the diet, i.e. the food intake, which should contain all the elements required by the body-vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, etc. similarly, one should follow a proper routine for sleeping, getting up, taking meals, etc. The daily routine should have a provision for taking physical exercise, entertainment and rest. It should be kept in mind while following a routine that it reflects a balanced approach while allotting appropriate time to different activities.

The second dimension of health refers to our psychological well-being. One must have healthy and positive thinking. Vices like dishonesty, jealousy, selfishness, etc. have absolutely no place in a healthy mind. If one is suffering from these vices, one will be termed as mentally sick and negative. Always think of doing good things to others while doing good to your own self. Mind it, your own good is a part of a common good of the community around. How can you rest peacefully when others in your neighbourhood are unhappy? Healthy thinking leads to healthy actions. One has to have an open mind, always ready to suggest and accept wise advices. ‘Cooperation’ is the real word, which can describe the healthy mind. It means to operate from both sides. Your righteousness will definitely motivate others to react rightly to you and to others. Thus, a healthy mind depends upon and involves healthy thinking.

The third, core dimension of health refers to our spiritual will-being. In fact, mental health (right thinking and positivity) and physical healthy are directly linked to this dimension referring to the divinity within. And, divinity, i.e. the powerfulness of the soul can be attained only through self realization and spiritual practices. It is the Perfect Master, the Guru, or the Spiritual Guide, who initiates one into true spirituality through Divine Knowledge and tells him the art of perfect health.

This blog attempts to provide its readers a healthy diet on all the three dimensions, because we wish that everybody becomes healthy and also makes this planet a healthy abode to live in!

(Akhand Gyan monthly magazine)

Revival of a new era

In modern-day society, besides optimists and pessimists, a third category has also emerged, which prefers calling itself ‘the realists’. They say that they neither give an outright acceptance nor rejection when it comes to establishing peace in the world. Instead, they say that they hold a realistic view which stands on practical grounds and is not hypothetical. They say that world-peace can be achieved only partially and intermittently. Because, according to them, human nature is inherently violent and he can never remain in peace at all times. And, hence they say that complete absence of wars and violence will always remain an impossible reality. Or, in other words, world peace in a true sense is never possible.

However, in my perspective, the viewpoint presented by the realists doesn’t sound valid and acceptable. First, because man is part and parcel of God who is ever-peaceful and ever-blissful; so his fundamental nature cannot be violent. This can also be supported with the fact that wars, bloodshed, violence, attacks, etc. are universally unacceptable. No one inherently likes them. And, something which is universally disliked by man cannot correspond to his basic nature.

Moreover, it often happens what when some idea is presented, which is beyond one’s comprehension, people tend to either mock at it or deny its possibility. However, which favorable results take shape, then all arguments, all opposition, all controversies automatically die out. History stands witness in this respect. For instance, in the early 1900’s nobody could even think that it was possible to fly in the air. When the Wright brothers proclaimed that they would be the first humans to fly, then the majority of people declared it to be a sheer impossibility because, they said that, it was not possible for a heavier-than-air machine to fly. But, when the two brothers became successful in making an air plane and took their first flight, then everyone had to believe. In the same way, until the 1950’s, it was beyond one’s imagination to walk on the moon. However, in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to land on moon and thus proved the so-called impossible and impractical target as practically possible. For many years, it was thought impossible to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Even the doctors and scientists claimed it to be physically impossible. They said that neither our muscles can move that fast and nor can our hearts pump that hard; and so, it was simply an impossible feat for humans. But, all claims, all thoughts had to succumb when, in 1954, Roger Bannister crossed the finish line of 1-mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. He not only broke through the physiological barrier, but also the psychological barrier. Hundreds of such examples can be cited from history wherein what a man commonly thought or perceived as impossible or impractical or unrealistic was proved otherwise.

Likewise, when it comes to bringing peace in the world, then this goal too may sound impossible or unrealistic to many. But, in reality it is not so. It’s true that one tends to develop this sort of perception because the conditions of the world show no signs of improvement despite several sincere attempts in this direction. Instead, the situation is deteriorating by the day. However, if the correct technique is applied, which can hit right at the root-cause, favorable results would definitely be seen. After all, if the formula (and its application) is correct, the solution is bound to be correct.

Basically, there are four levels pertaining to achieving one’s goal:

a.      The level of impossibility, when we deny any ray of hope in accomplishing something.

b.      The level of doubt, when 51% of our being says that we don’t think it’s possible.

c.The level of hope, when at least 51% of our being says that we think it’s possible.

d.      The level of certainty, when the mind says it’s absolutely possible.

It may be that the vision of world peace for many lies in the category of ‘impossibility.’ And, many may be ‘doubtful’ or ‘hopeful’ about its accomplishment seeing the current state of affairs. But, today, there are also many who take pride and vouch for the fourth category, i.e. those who are ‘certain’ that soon this world will shine bright with the golden rays of peace scattered in every nook and corner. These are the awakened units of society, who are equipped with the eternal technique of Self Realisation. And, this belief of theirs is in no way the product of imagination. Neither does their pessimism lack the support of a strong foundation. Rather, they claim so because through inner awakening, they have learnt how to get rid of their ‘ignorance’. And, today, they are spreading this message of awakening to the entire mankind with full gusto and sincerity to make this world a ‘peaceful abode’. 

(From Akhand Gyan Magazine with thanks)

Beware of False Gurus and Siddh-Purush

The desires of the people in the present times are not aimed at seeking God, but they are secular in nature. So, they happen to meet not a True spiritual Master, but secular hypocrites!

Now a days, it is a trend to use the sacred platform of spirituality by various professionals and traders. This trend has been followed from the Treta Yug. We know, Ravan and Kalnemi used this platform to cheat Devi Sita and Veer Hanuman. Therefore, numerous Babas, Brahmagyani, Avatar, Himalayan Yogi are available in the society. It is a great difficulty for a common man to recognize who is real and who is cheater. Still, a true spiritual seeker should watch properly the actions and motives of anyone before accepting him his Guru. For example, Narendra examined Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa many times before surrender.

As per the revelations in the sacred scriptures on the genuineness and the merit of a Guru, such Babas and so-called saints are not at all entitled to be hailed as “Gurus.” Such individuals are not “Gurus” but they are “traders.” And the one that encourages such trades is the media! When a company launches some new product, it does lots of advertising through the media, so that more and more people are attracted towards the product. On the same lines, these so-called Gurus of modern times use media to reach the common households. In the name of spirituality, they are engaging in their private trade through lots of advertisement via media to maximize profits. Among these, there are many who do not know even the ‘a-b-c’ of spirituality; they simply make meaningless arguments to cheat gullible devotees. What do they say? – Eat chutney with samosa (an Indian snack) and you will get a job. Eat four slices of bread instead of two and your cancer will be cured. Instead of wearing the shoes of an X company, start wearing the shoes of a Y company and you will be blessed with a son, and so on….. What silly assertions! Completely senseless!

On listening to such talks, I am reminded of a funny incident. Once, a supervisor visited a school for conducting inspection. He went to one class and asked a question to the students, “It takes ‘x’ number of hours to reach Mumbai form Delhi. Now tell me, what is my age?” There was no link between the two assertions. Children, therefore, failed to understand the meaning of the question and so were unable to answer it. All of them remained silent. But then, one student raised his hand and said, “I know the answer to this question.” The supervisor was happy and said, “Tell me, what is my age?”

Student: Sir, fifty years!

Supervisor: Very good, my boy! You are the most intelligent student in the class!

After the supervisor left, the teacher who was highly confused asked that student, “The question posed by the supervisor was without head or tail. There is absolutely no connection between the time taken to reach Mumbai form Delhi and the age of the supervisor. So, how did you manage to answer the question correctly?”

Student: Sir, I have an elder brother. His age is twenty-five. He is half-mad. So, on this basis, I thought that the age of this supervisor must be fifty, because he was fully mad.

In the same way, through such meaningless talks, these so-called Gurus and Babas reveal their idiotic levels. By linking the wheel of karmas with things like bread slice, chutney, shoes, etc. they testify their immature mind-set. What more proof is needed for their ignorance? But, the unfortunate part is, not only the uneducated, but also the educated class is getting entangled into their glib talks and is becoming their followers. They sit at the feet of these Gurus and offer the flowers of dedication and trust. They blindly abide by their instructions. And, then what happens in the end? Something like this….. Once, a so-called Guru told his disciples, “I will take you to the abode of God, provided you follow my instructions by the letter and spirit, without questioning. So, are you all willing to make this promise to me? Are you ready to follow me with total obedience?” All the disciples gave an affirmative reply in unison. Now, the hypocrite Guru reeled out his first command, “Sit straight.” About 200 disciples that were gathered there hailed in one voice, “Sit straight!” Taken aback, the hypocrite Guru surveyed all his disciples. The obedient disciples also moved their neck in the similar fashion. The agitated Guru said in an angry tone, “You do what I tell you to do.” The 200 disciples also shouted, “You do what I tell you to do.”

Hypocrite Guru: Idiots! Sit quiet! Do not imitate me!

200 Disciples: Idiots! Sit quiet! Do not imitate me!

Whatever that hypocrite Guru said and did, the disciples followed him action by action and word by word. Greatly upset, that pseudo Guru lost the balance of his mind and slapped a disciple sitting in front of him. Ah! What next? The entire atmosphere reverberated to the landing of slaps on the face of that hypocrite Guru in quick succession. That poor chap had to save his life somehow, and so he ran from there. All the disciples also ran after him. In that mad rush, the Guru fell down into a well. The 200 disciples, the faithful ones, also jumped after him and, thus, all of them reached the abode of death together!

Such is the plight of those who join the blind race and follow the hypocrite Gurus. Without thinking, without contemplating, they repose faith on their assertions. Referring to such disciples who follow blindly, Einstein has said, “Two things are infinite in this world. One is space; another is man’s stupidity.” What else would one call it if not stupidity? Without using the power of discrimination, we confer the title of Saint on anybody and everybody.

Besides ignorance, another important reason behind such unwise acts is the greed of an individual. What do we desire? Prosperity in the business of a son, cure form diseases, the marriage of a daughter, and likewise… the list is endless! And to fulfill these unending desires, an unending number of Gurus have sprouted today. A wise man has made a correct observation – “The ‘Logs’ are crooked and therefore there are crooked ‘Saws’ for them.” Meaning, the desires of the people in the present times are not aimed at seeking God, but they are secular in nature. So, they happen to meet not a True Spiritual Master, but secular hypocrites!

But, the true inquisitives of God do not get caught in the trap of such hypocrite Gurus. They identify them at the first sight itself. In this context, I recall a real-life incident relating to Yogananda Paramahansa. At that time, Yogananda was a child and his name was Mukund. A saint arrived at Kalighat, spread his mat under a tree near the bank of the Ganga River, and established himself there. Somebody told Mukund that the saint was 105 years old and possessed extraordinary powers. Whoever bows his head before his feet in reverence, in a fraction of a second, all his diseases are cured. As soon as Mukund came to know about this, he got very curious. He along with his brother Sunanda Lal Ghosh and other friends reached Kalighat. There, he saw the saint surrounded by a large number of people. He had long hair in the form of matted locks and a flowing beard. He had a glow on his face too. Mukund reached out to him and discussed spiritual issues for some time. Then they all returned. On reaching home, Mukund told his brother, “Today I visited a beautiful graveyard.”

“What do you mean?” Mukund’s brother asked instantly.

Mukund: Have you observed the graveyard carefully? From outside, it is constructed beautifully. It is laid with sparkling white marble stone slabs. Flowers are offered to it. But, what is within? The rotten flesh and decaying bones! Likewise, that saint was beautiful from the outside. But when I talked to him, I realized that from a spiritual standpoint, he was dead. Within him, there was no seed of divinity.

Dear readers, if you will also observe from the lens of discrimination, you will realize that the so-called Gurus of the present times are spiritually dead from within. They claim that they will cure your ailments. Many people even come forward to vouchsafe for their credibility. But, all this is a fraud and stage-managed. They engage those who are unemployed, bribe them and bring them before the media to lie.

MAN OF THE MILLENNIUM

Mr. Kalayanasundaram worked as a librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 years experience (service), he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about ten lake rupees to the needy.

He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, the American Government honored him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs. 30 crores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.

Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as father. He still stays as a bachelor and dedicated his entire life for serving the society.

All our Politicians, Film stars, Business magnets, cricketers, Press and we all Indians should be PROUD and also should be ashamed of ourselves. American Government has honored him but we Indians even don’t know that such a personality exist among us.

At least we have the courtesy to pass this on and on till the whole world comes to know about this Great Good Samaritan.

Hat’s off Kalayanasundaram. We Indians are extremely proud of you and proudly say “THIS HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA”

Sent By – Yash Paul Singhal