Attitude Of Gratitude

We all would have experienced this at some point or other in our life that being thankful for small things, is a wonderful gesture and brings instant peace, happiness and a feeling of contentment.

But at times we ignore such an important thanksgiving ritual and take it for granted. I am addressing here giving thanks to our parents, our roots, because of whom we are here in this world and whatever we are today is because of the sacrifices, love and affection or even anger and strictness which they gave us in the childhood, when we were weak physically and mentally to face this world on our own. They have gone through the hardships so that we can have a life of ease. They had taken care of us in our times of "helplessness".

We are an extension of our father and mother and owe our life to them because they have given us life; shelter, care, love and support.

Most of us are actually grateful for that every single day, but do not speak it, acknowledge it or share it.
We need to express this gratitude to our parents- it is really important, because if we cannot love our parents who have loved us so much and done so much to us, we are not only depriving them of this love but even ourselves of divine love and energy? Consider what our parents have done for us and while there is yet time repay them as best as we can. Atleast one thanks and one I Love you, is this also too much being asked for!!!!

Too many times we hide the real impact of someone's contribution because we are worried we're going to sound silly or too serious. When we dare to let people know how our lives are changed by their presence, we open the door to greater connection. Not only that, we give people valuable data about what they are doing that's making the world a better place. These kinds of conversations change us, so don't be shy, say how happy, relieved, encouraged, thankful, hopeful or glad you are that they have been simply there, when you wanted them the most. And from there it is like something opens up in the heart. It is like roots begin to grow–and one is grounded.

If your parents are alive take the opportunity to express your love and gratitude. This opportunity is not forever. If they have passed on you can still express your love and gratitude, write it on a piece of paper and share it with someone you love, and they will receive it “spiritually”! If your parents were not good to you, give them a gift of forgiveness and experience the power of giving. Revisit the past and just think about the circumstances they have gone through either as a child or later, perhaps it would justify their behavior towards you. Forgive and forget that for your own good.

Thanks giving is an art of self expression, and if your self expression is not good with your parents, then you will have trouble expressing yourself fully anywhere in life. Where ever we deal with situations in life it is either a male or a female we have to deal with, if we are not good at dealing with our roots, we have not expressed our love to them, our gratitude to them, two important basics, we shall not be able to righteously express ourselves anywhere in life. And if this is an important concern you are facing just go ahead hug your parents and tell them how much you love them, and how grateful you are for them being there. Trust me you shall be surprised at the response you shall get within yourself. Go ahead and experience it.

Power Of Prayer

The power of prayer should not be underestimated.

The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. It is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he shall hear us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - God answers, prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, with divine will, they are heard and become real. God knows exactly what we need this moment and gives us only that and nothing more or nothing less. He is the one who understands us completely and the deepest needs of our life. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully!

‘teri chahi mein prabhu hai mera kalyaan, meri chahi mat karo mein moorakh nadaan’ means Lord you know what is good for me, whatever you think and decide for me is the best for me, don’t give me what I desire, as I am still innocent, without complete knowledge and realization, I don’t know myself what is good and what is bad for me. You know it the best. In Your will is my true happiness.

Prayer is our communion with God, whether it is; a petition made to God, worship, repentance, praise, or thanksgiving. It doesn't have to be a laid-out patent prayer, but words from the heart. God loves all of us, he knows our minds and hearts, so why not talk to him, he is already aware of every situation you are facing. So He is the best counselor and guide to give you solution to that situation.

God knows each thought we have, so why not go to Him and talk to Him as you would, if you were to meet any other friend on the street. Prayers do not have to be long, drawn out affairs, just be precise as He knows your story already.

Go ahead and talk to Him, it is never too late!!
Here are some of the letters written by school kids to God. 

Travel Light

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off the baggage of all your anger, jealousies, unforgiveness, greed, proud and fears.

"Less luggage, more comfort" is something that all travelers know to be true. It is particularly true when we deal with the journey of life. Not just in a physical sense (we know very well what it means to be trim and fit), but in a much deeper psychological sense. In that sense, we are always traveling, and each of us carries a fair amount of baggage. It is only rarely that we feel freed of all mental baggage, and are able to glide about freely and joyfully, like birds in the sky.

Both physical and emotional baggage needs to be minimized. We should know exactly what to keep and what to leave behind and what to throw away forever. It is natural to accumulate junk on the way. Spring cleaning is something which we all heard of, but it is actually important to practice it in our closets, if they are stuffed, cluttered, means it is dangerous, things are left unchecked. It weighs us down, keeps us still and makes us slow. At times in my team and at home I would force people to clean their drawers and closets, because that helps in the proper flow of energy and makes you in charge of what is where and how to deal with it. Similarly in your mind we need to organize which baggage we want to carry, and what is to be deleted forever.

The shedding of emotional baggage is very important, to discover the real who I am, who I will be, to create new we have to clear the earlier clutter and debris, we have to make room for creating something new.

Psychological baggage is centered on that notion, and along with it, all my remembered past and imagined future. Along with it comes lot of regrets, misfortunes, why’s and why not’s and bla bla…. But we never count on our blessings, which each one of us has. So from this bla……bla….the things that really matter should remain, and let everything else go away. This bla … bla…is like the weeds in the agricultural field, disturbing the growth of the main crop, what is more important CROP or WEEDS, weeds ofcourse need to be thrown out. So throw this unwanted emotional baggage out and Travel Light.

Let go of the baggage of the ego-self, and be free!

Let go, and be free! How simple! Yet, how difficult it is in actual practice! Especially when we cling to the baggage so tenaciously, and so unconsciously. Dropping the baggage of one’s ego-self and thereby discovering real freedom is the most absorbing errand that a spiritual aspirant can have in life. All that is required is continual awareness, awareness of the clinging, and a letting go of the attachments that binds one…

People have serious difficulty in understanding that attachments are the root cause of human suffering. Until that understanding dawn, clearly and sharply, the clinging will continue, and so will suffering. The understanding can be initially painful, but it is a passing pain, as in a surgical operation. Truth can be very bitter, when one has been deluding oneself all of one’s life.

The dropping of the baggage of the ego-self is common to all spiritual paths. This is why the essence of all religions is said to be the same. Without the surrender of the ego-self, you can never discover your real self.

People are afraid of “letting go”. This is understandable; until one discovers the liberation that follows the “letting go”, one will resist surrender. Indeed, all of us have glimpsed this liberating experience at some point or other in our lives, especially in our early childhood. It is an experience of joy, a sense of oneness and affinity towards everything. It is characterised by an absence of resistance to the natural “flow” of life. It is a state of peace and harmony, bereft of distraction and worry. In it, there is no sense of time. It is, in summary, a truly wonderful state, accessible to all who are able to “let go”.

The ego-pleasure that emanates from an enhanced sense of self-importance (more baggage) is what most of us crave for, but it is an outcome of delusion, and will inevitably bring in its wake its painful opposite, ego-pain.

The joyous experience of the "flow" state, unencumbered by baggage, can be felt in the thick of apparently intense activity. Any skilled worker or talented artiste or sportsman will testify to this. Such activity turns out to be “perfect” when one is fully focused on the task at hand, with a relaxed concentration and without any distraction. One allows the universal energy to express itself through one’s medium, without interference, and without any motive of profit or worry about the outcome. In fact, interferences by the ego-self only serve to contaminate the perfection in the work. When we are concerned about failure or success, then our complete focus shifts from the task in hand to its outcome, and this need to win drains us of our energy to perform well.

In summary, the first thing that needs to be clearly understood is that the baggage of the ego-self is the only obstruction to true freedom and joyous living. Driven by the ways of the world, our normal tendency is to add to that baggage, rather than to lighten the load. The problem stems not from “successes” in life, but from the false notion that “I am the doer” that accompanies these achievements, and from clinging to attachments. Through continual awareness however, we discover the art of traveling light, and becoming one with the flow of life. We discover a sense of joyous freedom and connectedness with the universe. Bon voyage!

Every Lock Has A Key

I strongly believe that every lock, every challenge, every situation, every condition which has come our way has a solution to it. It has a key to it, we have to seek it honestly, patiently, tolerating everything and we shall find it for sure.

In the beginning when faced with a situation, it might look as big as a mountain, with no way out, but to just look at it and feel scared. In physical body we can be much smaller as compared to the mountain, but in our thinking capacity we are much bigger than it. And it is then when one realizes that this mountain can be conquered, it can either be climbed across or we can build a tunnel across it, yes it does require proper equipments and technology, but of course the power of human mind is much above it, same is true while dealing with any situation. Let us not forget that little key, which can unlock the toughest of the locks, worst of the situations, it is just a matter of finding the right key.

Now which is the KEY that can unlock the toughest situation as big as a mountain? First of all it is the passion with us and the situation itself and secondly it is the compassion towards the people around us, which compels us to perform with a strong desire to come out of this challenge as a winner all through it.

Where does this passion and compassion live, where can we find them, and use them as a force, energy and power to accomplish our goals? This power is always with each one of us, we are carrying it with us since birth, but unaware of the fact that this is the key to unlock our total potential and solve the mysteries faced by us. It is the greatest power known to Man, the power of Unconditional love. We may have missed the simplicity of Unconditional love. It brings along with it the dynamic and powerful energy that lifts us through the most difficult times. It has the magical powers of the divine for transformation. The moment you open yourself to the power of unconditional love, you actually open yourself to the life force (prana/ energy), along with it comes so much new force and energy to solve all your concerns. Try it to know its full potential.

It is available at any moment by turning our attention to it and using its wonderful potential to free us from our limitations. It requires practice and intent to allow this energy to fully permeate our daily experience. It begins with oneself, for without self-love, one cannot know what true love can be. In loving ourselves, we allow the feeling to generate within us and then we can share it to everyone and everything around us! When we allow ourselves to understand the impact our actions have not only on ourselves but also on the people around and as a whole on the world we live in, we realize the necessity to take loving action. We each have the power to correct conditions within us, as well as to affect the world we live in. To practice unconditional love with the task you are performing, just passion and compassion, but no attachment.

There are so many ways to apply love in our everyday lives. Yet, if we do not take care of ourselves, it is virtually impossible to feel and share love with the world around us. As an act of self-love, we can begin to educate ourselves and learn to take care of our physical bodies as well as keep our thoughts and feelings positive and loving. Start with the passion towards oneself, nurturing ourselves also teaches us how to nurture life around us.

When we, as individuals, realize our potential to love unconditionally, we transform ourselves and any situation; you are dealing with, at the same time. Such is the power we wield every moment of every day.

Each moment holds a new beginning of possibility and an opportunity to create without limitation. We can let go of what we perceive or believe is before us and allow our personal potential to shine through. Start each day as a new journey of self discovery. Let go of yesterday and tomorrow and embrace the power of now. Remind yourself daily of the newness of life in the moment. Let us unlock our true potential with the Key of Unconditional Love.

Faith And Trust

Most of us struggle to be anxious for something or the other in our life especially when we are faced by unpredictable events in our lives. Still, we can learn to let God be God and accept His direction and judgment. Although we keep saying that we have full faith in God, but do we have full trust in Him?

The concepts of faith and trust can be overwhelming. There is a very old illustration that brings these two ideas into sharp focus. It goes like this: Imagine yourself attending a circus show, there is a deep well with high rising flames of fire coming through it, a circus performer has strung a rope high up across these flames to cross the well from above, with the intention of pushing a wheelbarrow from one side to the other side. If he loses his balance, he will surely fall and get burnt alive in the fire below. Just before stepping on the rope, the stuntman turns to you and says, "Do you think I can accomplish this feat?"
You have seen him performing earlier, his reputation has preceded him and you fully believe he has the ability to walk the tightrope. In other words, you have faith that he will succeed.

But then he says, "If you really believe I can do it, how about getting in the wheelbarrow with me and crossing to the other side together?" To accept that invitation would be an example of remarkable trust.

It is not difficult for some of us to believe that God is capable of performing mighty deeds. After all, He created the entire universe from nothingness. He has the power to do anything He chooses. Having faith in Him can be a fairly straightforward thing.

To demonstrate trust, however, takes the relationship a step further. It involves the element of risk. It requires us to depend on Him to keep His promises, even when proof is not provided. It is continuing to believe when the evidence points in the opposite direction. Yes, it is getting into the wheelbarrow and making the perilous journey across the flames. I'm convinced that faith in moments of crisis is insufficient, unless we are also willing to trust our very lives to His care.