Gratitude

Hi Folks!

How's your Life?!

I've been having an absolutely marvellous time since the last 15 days!

Want to know what I am upto?!

Refer to the earlier post for - '3 Tasks To Do On Someone's Death.'

As Task 3, I wrote a nice, long mail to Ranjana about Ajit and my happy memories about him.

Then I wrote another nice, long mail to Ranjana about my happy memories with her!

Why wait to write to someone else - son or daughter or mom or dad or brother or sister?

True, their and my near one too, but someone else nevertheless, about the good times I've had with a person when they themselves are gone?

And what's the guarantee that I may not be 'gonehomeshubhayeri' instead of 'goinghome' before them?

Then they would never know !

So I started, tentatively, reaching back all those years ago when I'd first met Ranjan - and it was so beautiful and funny and nostalgic to remember all the mad things we did together and our journey till this moment!

I felt happy and blessed and uplifted!

Not one to let go of such good feelings, I carried on writing to other near and dear ones too!

I'm not done yet, and it feels good to know so many people mean so much to me!

They've enriched my life in many ways and are still adding to my joys and learning.

Its been a marvellous, energising trip and I and happy and content and recharged!

Try it, all of you, do!

Now let's look at some queries which have come quite some time ago but got put on the back-burner by Life - and Death!

There's a very practical and wonderful question from Arun.

'As one grows older and as each year passes, how can one ensure that one has progressed spiritually?'

By the time one has grown enough to ask such a question, one has achieved the state of discrimination between what can offer temporary gratification and what would ensure long-term peace of mind.

What IS a Spiritual life and what IS Spirituality?

Apart from being a Pandora's box of words and confusion?!

To me, it is having complete belief that I am a spiritual being residing in a physical body of my choice and trying to respond to all my chosen challenges and situations with this awareness, so that I am circumspect in my behaviour.

In not reacting like a human being, with the understanding that everyone is trying to work out their own lessons, many times, without even realising that there is a lesson to be learnt, to begin with.

This world is truly a stage and all of us are playing our parts towards a common goal of not having to come back again. And again.

Smart fellow, Shakespeare!

What brings us back to Earth, is our habit-patterns of behaviour which we want to change. Once here, we don't remember it, but somewhere, we do retain the memory of our spirituality, hence the questions, the search.

Look back on your life and check the patterns of your reactions, the things that keep happening to you often, those that now happen less often and your general state of mind at any given point.

Do you react to unpleasant situations with the same intensity that you did last year?

Are you critical, sharp and sarcastic when there is really no need to be, as you probably realise later?

Are you hard on yourself? Most of us tend to be, unknowingly.

Are you now more circumspect than you were some time ago? Do you now allow a margin of error to the other person too?

Becoming calmer does not mean becoming boring.

If you are withdrawing, it's the wrong direction. You need to be happy both inside and outside. Are you?

Check, what kind of an energy-stealer you are. The Poor-me, Aloof and Over-Enthusiastic ones don't realise that they steal too.

Find a technique of Meditation that answers all your queries and meditate twice a day every day to stay connected to the unending, pure Universal Energy. Then the stealing and being-stolen-from reduces and finally stops.

The lethargy and 'No time' is just the old habit-pattern that you yourself want to change. So stick it out until 30 mins in the morning & evening becomes a routine cleansing of your mind like a bath to the body.

Lets look at this question in another way.

The Root or The First Chakra.

This is at the base of the spine, literally means 'supporting the root' and is about our basic survival instinct, the life-force and energy and our earthing, so to say.

It is extremely important to be firmly grounded and a properly working Root Chakra gives us our identity with our surrounding, a sense of belonging, of family and society which is a pre-requisite for a balanced growth.

An out-of balance Root Chakra, whether overactive or under, will keep one off-kilter. If our basic fears are not addressed, of survival or emotional or social ones, there will be problems which will enter the physical body and start to immobilise us.

Many people find that one or more of their Lower three Chakras are underactive but the higher ones are active or even overactive.

It does not help to set off on a spiritual journey when the basic grounding is weak, the fears and insecurities are not addressed. One cannot push them under the carpet and they will not automatically go away as you walk what you consider to be a spiritual path. Basic issues have to be cleared first and if they are about safety, security, standing up for oneself, our core beliefs, ehical behaviour and justice.

If your problems are in these areas, work on your first Chakra.

There are many ways of balancing the Chakras.

Meditate or concentrate your thoughts on the location of the Chakra and breathe normally for about 15 mins.

Consciously list out the issues which bother you and start to resolve them.Many times we do start, but are unable to come to a closure. It is very, very important to close them and then, only then move on.

People and situations are not under our control. What we can control is our own mind and its reactions. We need to learn this through meditating and ensure our progress.

All the Chakras spin simultaneously and it is not that only after the first one is working properly that we move to the next.

There are innumerable examples all over the world of people who are otherwise very 'holy' but have uncontrolled anger or hatred or sexual urge.Unless they address these issues there will be no progress, whatever their beliefs.

You will find many, many books and videos on the net on balancing the Chakras.

Check them out and go for the simplest exercises.

There are many books available on amazonusedbooks.com.

'Anatomy Of The Spirit' by Dr. Caroline Myss is exceptional.

This post has gone on long enough!

So long for now -

Coping with death, nicely

HI FOLKS,

So hows life been with you ?

It goes on, doesn't it?!
Quite peacefully too!

Some lovely things happened last week, and because they are positive and practical, I want to share them with you.

A Get-Together was held to share Ajit's memories and to come to terms with this sudden hollowness.

Many people travelled from far-away places and everyone was inconsolable.

The meeting was conducted by Nithyashanti.

Remember one of my earlier posts -'WHEN YOU SWEEP, SWEEP!'

He's the one who had narrated that beautiful incident.

(Do go back to this post every now and then -I do too!)

He had not known Ajit but could see the overwhelming grief on everyone's face, the body language, the shock - it was telling enough.

He explained the Buddhist concept of Death as one's moving into another Dimension of Consciousness.

He interspersed with anecdotes and small meditations.

At the end of the meeting, everyone had calmed down considerably.

Now, has any of your loved one died recently?

A while ago - or some time ago?

There is Homework, as given by Nithya to all who were present that day - and now passed on to all of you by me, with some additions!

1. Do a good deed and give the merits accrued to the person who has died.

Well!

Donating money would be easiest.

How about donating Blood?

Or paying to have strays neutered and treated?

Or going for morning walks with a satchel of waterbottles for the plants and saplings on the roadsides.

I'm doing that!

2. Think.

What was the one quality that you loved in the loved one you have lost?

Maybe there were more than one qualities that were admirable.

Try to inculcate them in you.

One or more.

One by one.

After all we are mirrors of eachother and when you develop this particular quality, you will not feel as if you are away from your loved one.

I'm doing this too, and when I succeed, I will tell you what it is.

Ajit will ddddddddefinately be vvvvvvvvvery happy!

3.Write.

A letter or a mail to their nearest, narrating why this person was so dear to you.

Mention a few happy incidents, something nice.

This will aid in a closure as much for them as you.

Nice work, isn't it?

This seems to be a season for taking off.

A grand-uncle of mine died on the 15th of old age, at 85 yrs !

And a friend's mother in her learly 60s, 4 days ago.

Uncle seemed pretty thrilled at where he was when I tried to send him good wishes for his onward journey.

Had a big grin, seemed younger and lighter, and yes, very happy!

His death was truly a Smilestone for him.

In the next post, I will start with the CHAKRAS, what they stand for, in a bit of detail.

There are some nice questions too, which I've got in my mail but I would like to answer in a post.

Thanks for mentioning this blog in your own, Random Thoughts, but share your blog with us too!

Give the name of your blog and we will all read and learn and grow!

Until next time-

You fared well, dear friend

Hi folks -


How's Life?


Since the last 14 years, curiosity has made me find out more and more on What is Death, What (on earth) does happen to us after Death, Where do we come from, Why and What is the Final Destination.

As believable, scientific data kept - and keeps emerging from a variety of verifiable sources like Near Death Experience, Mediums, Past Life Regression, Auto Writing and so on, curiosity and anxiety about this transition gave way to calmness, peace of mind and joy not only about whats coming after, but also about Life here and now.

Thats what I thought!


Now I know that all this wisdom is for my own death which is not a 'nothing', a dark void or fearful question mark anymore.


But when it comes to the death of a near and dear one, there's still this momentary 'Oh- No!'



Remember Ajit who, in an earlier post had wanted to know if mind could be remote - controlled ?
He died on the 28th March in the blinking of an eye.
No symptoms, no pain - nothing.

He had millions of friends who each thought he was their special friend. Each had many humourous memories of him. His brand of aweful humour, his laughter, the cuss-words and his stammering, both of which he blandly denied! The photos that he took of every occassion - the camera was like an extension of his hand.


Every single day, he spent his morning tea-time calling up. All his friends agree that his would be the first call in the morning wishing happy birthdays and anniversaries before even they had wished their spouses or been wished by those present at home!


He worked hard, everybody was a friend and he did not keep grudges.
He had no time for any rituals but respected others' wishes as long as it did not impose on him.

In a conventional way, he was not religious at all.
What he was, was Spiritual.
Along with his love for spirits!

In this life and world, he did not hurt or harm anyone. If he did and realised or it was brought to his notice, he apologised immedeately.

He had no ego. He loved his friends dearly - and everyone was his friend.
He did not ask why? and why meee?

He let go - and slept soundly.
Probably snored too!

He reiterates this fact that one does not have to DO things to be spiritual.
Or think about heaven and hell and all the dimensions or retribution.

You just have to BE.


So how are the others coping?


Remember Ranjana?

She started to Meditate a few years ago and along with her natural exhuberance and joy, acquired a state of calmness deep within.


Remember her failed experience of Past Life Regression in the comment that she so generously shared?

She's his wife of 32 years.


And right now, she's consoling their daughter, son-in-law, millions of friends and scores of howling self-proclaimed sons and daughters all over the world quite admirably.


We live and learn.
From other people's life and death.

Let's work backwards from death.
Anyones.

How did they live? Did they hang on to the baggage of the past?
Old wounds?
Hold grudges? Were wary/resigned/fearful of future or just did not want to think about it?
Had a 'What's the point?' attitude?
Or looked at things as something to learn from?

If you are the same that you were a few years ago, you're in a rut that will pull you down slowly and surely.

'I don't change' does not always translate into 'I'm trustworthy'.
The good in us has to be enhanced too, consciously and diligently.

A runner may take 15 seconds for a 100mt dash in school and come first, but he has to keep sharpening his skill in order to achieve his own true potential.

Rocks will remain grounded.
Shoots shoot up because they carry no weight and the top-most one is the newest and the lightest.

We need to let go as we grow in years if we do not want to be stuck in the lower stages of our development.

So long for now.


Any of you staying in Mumbai - or wherever - and interested in a Turtle Watch on the coast of Maharashtra?

On the weekend of 25th and 26th of April.
The Ma Turtles have laid their eggs and they are going to hatch.
The babies need help to reach the sea.

There is a wonderful conservationist working to save the eggs from being stolen and sold. He's involved the locals who have now realised that the renting out of rooms in their houses, food etc is giving them equal returns if not more along with a name in Turtle Conservation which would help in their overall growth as tourist destinations.

Bhau's website is http://www.snmcpn.org/.
Love-