Look Up

THE BUZZARD



If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.

The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet.

Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT



The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
THE BUMBLEBEE




A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee.

We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up!


That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem...

Just look up!

--------------------------------
Sorrow looks back,
Worry looks around,
But faith looks up!
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly, and
Trust in our Creator,



Who loves us.

Life Is Like That

"Not everything that counts can be counted,

and not everything that can be counted counts."

"Your only limitations are those you set up in your mind,

or permit others to set up for you."

IF EVERYONE IS HAPPY WITH YOU,
THEN SURELY YOU HAVE MADE MANY COMPROMISES IN YOUR LIFE,
BUT IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH EVERYONE
SURELY YOU HAVE IGNORED MANY FAULTS OF OTHERS.......!!!!
Life is of two days...
One day will be in your favour...
One day will be against you...
Be Thankful to God and don't feel proud when a day is in your favour...
And trust God and be patient when a day is against you...
Generosity is to help a deserving person without his request,
and if you help him after his request,
then it is either out of self-respect or to avoid rebuke.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven't found it yet, keep looking..
Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart,
You'll know when you find it.

RAM NAAM

Ram Naam

Once a Guru or teacher was teaching Vishnu sahasra naam
to a group of boys aged between 8 and 12 years.
Guru chanted the slokam :

Sri Ram Ram Ramethi Rame Rame Manorame
Sahasranaama Tathulyam Ram Naam Varaanane

and told the students, "if you chant Ram naam three times,
it is equivalent to chanting the whole Vishnu Sahasranaam or
chanting Lord's Naam 1000 times. One of the boys was very
naughty and always had questions about everything the teacher
said. Immediately he asked " Guro, how can three times become
equal to 1000 times? I do not get the logic. Please explain to us
how that equation of 3 naam =1000 naam works".

Guru was not only smart, but was a great devotee of Lord Ram.
In one moment, Guru knew how to explain the validity of the
unusual equation.
He said: Lord Shiva says that the name of Lord Ram is the
sweetest of all the words & chanting this name would be
equivalent to chanting the whole Vishnu Sahasranama or
thousand names of Vishnu .

Here is the interesting calculation by which we can prove that
3 times chanting of Rama naam becomes equivalent to 1000
times chanting or chanting the whole Vishnu Sahasra naam.

Take the name Ram. It has two Sanskrit letters Ra and Ma.
When you take the consonants in Sanskrit alphabet,
Ra is the second consonant in the group of five consonants
Ya, Ra, La, Va, Sha and
Ma is the fifth in the group of five consonants Pa, Pha, Ba, Bha, Ma.

When you substitute the value of RA and MA as 2 and 5
RAM is equivalent to 2x5 = 10. Then,
Sri Ram Ram Ram (iti) is equivalent to........................
2x5 x 2x5 x2x5 = 10x10x10 = 1000.

The boy was happy with the answer and started learning Vishun
Sahasranaam with full concentration and devotion.

Jai Shri Ram!
Sree Seetha Lakshmana Bharatha Shathrugna Hanumath
Sametha Sree Ramchandraswamine Namaha.

Be An Arrow of Attention

By K.M.Gupta


When the Kurukshetra war was all set to begin, Krishna converts interspace into a classroom. To set Arjuna to proper action, Krishna has to put him on the right approach that comes from right attitude which in turn comes from proper understanding and that, from proper knowledge. So midfield has to turn into a classroom.

Life is a classroom and you never cease to be a student. The moment you cease to be a student you become deadwood. So the first lesson for all students of life is how to be a good student. And that is the first lesson to be taught to all students from Kindergarten.

How can a student be a good or even best student? Look at the knowledge-understanding-attitude-approach chain. Knowledge comes first. Gaining knowledge is the primary aim of education. Knowledge metamorphoses into wisdom in the form of understanding-attitude-approach. So go get knowledge first.

But knowledge doesn’t favour all. It comes only to those who have curiosity which is the mother of knowledge. It is the greatest virtue. What do all science, discovery and invention owe their origin to? Curiosity. What made Albert Einstein the greatest of all scientists? Curiosity. Those without curiosity are ‘knowledge-challenged’. So cultivate curiosity, for curiosity cultivates knowledge.

I have one thing in common with Isaac Asimov, the renowned science fiction writer. He said, “My father taught me all that I have today. How? He taught me curiosity, and with that I learned all I have.” Once the Head Teacher of my son’s school summoned me and gave me a dressing down: “Your son has fared awfully badly in maths this time!” I taught my son maths at home. Not for long, only for a short while. Next time he became topper and also, maths became his first love. What was the magic? I taught him maths. But not just maths but curiosity as well, which I learned from my father.

In the present system of education students can’t expect curiosity to be taught. So students must teach themselves curiosity. Don’t just cram lessons. Cultivate curiosity towards what you learn. Anything can be the subject of your curiousity — grammar, maths, even morals. Convert everything into curiosity. What is it about? What is it for? How does it work? How does it fit in with life? If you have curiosity, nothing is dull or tough. Mathematics is usually the bête-noir for average students. But mathematics is the most interesting of all subjects in the world — if only you are curious. If you are dull in mathematics, it means your teacher has failed in cultivating curiosity in you. Don’t wait for the teacher. Teach yourself curiosity. Start looking at things with curious eyes. Sit for a while in the class of the greatest of all teachers of all times and listen: ‘Shraddhavan labhate jnanam.’

Attention is the sharp edge of curiosity. In the Upanishad the guru tells his student, ‘sharavat thanmayo bhavet’ — be like an arrow set on its aim. To be an arrow set on its aim, you should have no diversions. And to have no diversions you should have your senses in control. So Krishana adds: ‘Tatparah samyatendriyah.’ Have no diversions and have your senses in control. Curiosity can lead to bad things also. So Krishna asks you to know what is day and what is night, in which to wake up and in which to sleep, when to open your eyes at and when to shut them. The Gita is a guide on how to be an Arrow of Attention.

We Need Both Fate And Free Will

By Dada J.P.Vaswani

Q: Are we free agents or puppets in the hands of Destiny? Could we change our fate?
One view is that you are a prisoner of fate. Whatever you do, you simply cannot change it. Another view is that we are absolutely free. You have freedom of choice between picking right or wrong. At every step of life, you can make the effort to improve your condition. Acting thus, you could change your karma and so alter your destiny.
These two aspects of an individual’s condition are like the twin blades of a pair of scissors. The first is ichcha shakti, freedom of choice; the second is prarabdha karma, accumulated karma. When the two blades act together, the scissors does its job. You cannot cut a piece of cloth with just one blade of the scissors. Likewise, fate and free will are both necessary for action.
Karma determines many things that you cannot change. It determines the type of family into which you are born, your race and the type of body in which you are born. You might wish to change the shape of your nose or increase your height by a few centimeters and perhaps technology finds a way to do all this. Yet, there is scope for free will even in situations where change seems impossible. You always have the choice of reacting to your fate in either a positive or negative manner. This is always within your power!
Q:Why are we not born equal?
A: All are created equal. But in the same family, all children do not have equality of ability or intelligence. Is this inequality the result of karma? If so, is it fair? The answer to both questions, is ‘yes’. You are the architect of your own destiny. Every thought, emotion, wish and action creates karma. The good or bad we do affects us, and remains with us until we balance them out.
Do you know the story of a Polish Air Force pilot, Roman Tursky? He was flying over Germany when he had to make a forced landing. He sent his plane for repairs and spent the night in a hotel. The next morning, in the corridor, a man came running and collided against him. He was pale with fear and cried, "Gestapo! Gestapo!" He was being hounded by the Secret Police. Tursky pushed the man into his room, under his bed. Soon the police came in and interrogated Tursky. He did not understand their language, and the police went away.

The pilot offered to take this man to Warsaw where he was flying, but helped him get off a little before reaching the airport, as the police there could search his plane. Sure enough, when he landed at Warsaw, the police was already there to make a search for the man.
Soon thereafter, in the Second World War, Poland was occupied by Germany. Tursky flew to England and joined the RAF, and became a war hero. He was a brave man, but his plane crashed. The critically injured Tursky was taken to the nearest hospital; he’d slipped into coma. When he recovered, he found a man looking at him. He sid to Tursky, "Do you remember me? You saved me. This morning I read the news that you were in coma, and I flew here." "What for?" asked Tursky. "Because," the man answered, "I wanted to help. They say that I am one of the best brain surgeons. I operated on you.

You Squeeze Me Like A Lemon

By: Janina Gomes

Dear Life,

You promised me a lot. But what you have given me has surpassed all that you promised. I knew that both beauty and ugliness would come my way for nothing comes unalloyed in life. My life has encompassed both good and bad because you have made me understand only too well that nothing comes unalloyed. When I look back and also regard the present, I realise that the richness of life is in bringing all these experiences together and weaving a beautiful tapestry of them.

When I try to achieve my goals in haste, you slow me down. You teach me patience; the value of waiting for what is worthwhile. You teach me that life is ever-flowing; like the river that gets around so many bends and boulders, you also make me flow over and around obstacles and difficulties.

The trajectory I choose for myself now is different, on account of the lessons you have taught me. By choosing not to identify myself completely with difficulties that come my way, I look beyond them and myself, despite my multiple identities, to the spiritually awakened Self that’s inside me.

I had the same expectations as many others do -- marriage and family. But you showed me that there are infinite ways of reaching my full potential. There are conventional structures and landmarks, but not all of us pass by the same way.

You often squeeze me like a lemon and so stress, pain and defeat become part of my experiences. You make demands on me. I was made to take on responsibility, to care for others and to give something back to you. However, when the demands became excessive you have shown me that sometimes I have to be squeezed to give of my best.

You have also given me the chance and opportunity to recover when the feeling of being squeezed of all energy threatens to take over. There comes a healing touch – or there is sickness that forces one to stop and take stock, and helps one emerge fitter and stronger for the experience.

Looking, back, I find that you have enriched me with a gamut of experiences. You’ve let me experience the fact that being tested does not mean one has to seek escape from you. When we say ‘yes’ to life, we are really saying ‘yes’ also to surprises, setbacks and personal tragedies, and not only to happy times.

In the course of my life, so many things have happened, but not every happening was significant. I have now learned to skip and not mull over or get bogged down by happenings that could have been accidental, coincidental or negative, and therefore they do not say much to me anymore.

Life, you are a twin sister of Time. In learning to make the best use of time and putting our talents to best use in activities that are essentially time-bound, we are really living life to the full. There is time for everything under the sun. But you have impressed upon me that I should do and undertake only work and activities that promote life, not destroy it.

Yet, may I request you: Please don’t squeeze me like a lemon. I have learnt my lessons and the need to put up a good fight and keep the faith. I will celebrate you and not waste the opportunity.

And when I whisper a prayer, I will say, ‘Thank You Life, for the gift of Self to me’.

With gratitude,

Is it a Sin to be Happy?

By Ramesh Bijlani

There is no dearth of dead serious, eager and earnest spiritual seekers who sincerely believe that everything that feels good is sinful. On the other hand, it is difficult to find a spiritual master without a smile on her face. Children, nearer God than most adults, are a bundle of joy. The key to this paradox lies in the source of happiness. There are things we can eat, wear, see, touch or smell that give us a type of happiness, which we may call pleasure. There is another type of happiness that is not sold in markets, the one that comes from being loved, from success, praise, name and fame. This type of happiness is erratic, unpredictable, and vulnerable to vicissitudes of life. While these two types of happiness depend upon getting something, there is another kind of happiness that’s neither fleeting nor fragile and that comes from giving. It may come from giving an object, physical support or care, all expressions of love. This happiness comes from responding to an inner call when faced with choices. Life is neither full of fortune that makes us happy, nor of misfortune designed to make us unhappy. Life is a chain of events and circumstances, each of which offers us choices. Choices are an opportunity, because making the right choice leads to spiritual growth. The guidance for making the right use of every opportunity is available from a voice that comes from the depths of our being. Acting on that voice gives us lasting inner peace rather than happiness. Inner peace brings the type of happiness for which the word happiness is inadequate – it is called joy, delight or bliss. Responding to the inner call that brings joy needs the type of courage that Buddha showed when he left his family and kingdom in search of truth. Responding to the inner call needs the type of ‘foolishness’ that the award-winning chef Narayanan Krishnan showed when he gave up a lucrative career in five-star hotels and refused a job in Switzerland to feed the homeless in Madurai. Responding to the inner call needs the capacity to swim against the current that the IIM-Calcutta graduate Puja Mishra showed when she chucked placements to live and work in a remote village to educate children. Responding to the inner call brings joy, but that is not why you respond to it. You respond to it because to you that seems the only right thing to do. When you decide to respond to the inner call, you also get what it takes to do so because the call emanates from your divine essence. The Divine is all-knowing and all-powerful. Hence, the call also has extreme clarity, and brings with it the courage required to stand up to the whole world, if necessary. As the Mother has said, “Give up all personal seeking for comfort, satisfaction, enjoyment or happiness. Be only a burning fire for progress, take whatever comes to you as a help for progress and make at once the progress required”. The ‘progress’ referred to here is spiritual progress. With spiritual progress as the purpose of life, treating whatever comes to us in life as a vehicle for progress accomplishes the purpose and the bonus is joy, its by-product. Genuine happiness comes not from being pursued, but from making the pursuit of something higher than happiness the purpose of your life.