​Our thinking seems to be constantly shrouded in duality. We like this, and we don’t like that. We like this person and we don’t like someone else. 

Unfortunately, most of this evaluation and branding happens in a subtle and unconscious manner. Our preferences are steered by our samskars, which are the karmic tendencies which then go on to become our “vrittis” i.e. our behaviors which are governed by latent and innate tendencies.

But someone who is truly wise knows that the same divine is there in each one of us. He/she is able to see the common ‘one-ness’ underneath all the diversity that is around us.

What we need to do is to develop the ability to see the “one-ness” in all. After you meet someone or interact with someone, it is helpful to take a moment to reflect on the commonality between you and that person you were just speaking with. However different you may be at an apparent level; can you see the underlying common aspect between both you and them?

If you both belong to the same sex, same community, same work place, it would be easy to find more commonalities- but can you try to see beyond these- at a fundamental level, how/what is common between all of you?

Categories: 
   Conscious Living,   How To...   ,    Our Path Our Journey ,    Think On This      and   Spiritual Lessons

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​Surrender! The word immediately brings to our mind the image of someone being defeated and giving up. Now that could be the case if it was a battle with another person or a group. BUT, what are we supposed to do in life?

We have always been told to “buck up”, “take charge” and always be in control. And there is some truth to this- but the person we need to do this with is, us- we need to take charge of our self and be in control of our own thoughts and action. Instead, what most of us end up doing is that we try to control everything external- other people, situation, events and so on. 

This becomes a losing battle from the very start, since- the external situation never was and never will be in any one person’s control. There are complex ways in which life itself determines who gets what, when and so on.

​Life determines these external factors- our job is to respond to life in the best possible way that we can. But that seems so difficult to do- how can we initiate this important process of surrender? How can we win and achieve all our goals, ambitions and dreams while surrendering to the Divine, to Life?

When we realize that the divine is the source of all and everything in existence, then it becomes not only easy but almost logical to surrender all outcomes to the divine and do what is needed in any given situation. 

When we work at something with faith and devotion, then sooner or later it will yield to us! This is just the “nature of nature". 

So, keep your attention on the source of your inspiration, the divine within your heart, as you go about the day, carrying out all the activities...

Categories: 
   Conscious Living,   How To...   ,    Our Path Our Journey ,    Think On This      and   Spiritual Lessons

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In the last few years, there have been so many wildfires all over the world!! We, in Canada experienced some really terrible ones in 2003, where almost 12% of our beautiful parklands in the Kootenay mountains were scorched down to ashes!! 

Why I am writing about this is- recently I came upon one of my hiking journal entries from back in October of 2015. We had gone into the Kootenays to check out the new growth that had started to take place. As the photo shows- the beautiful little saplings had started to take on their form- with the promise of one day becoming grand and magnificent again- like how they used to be. 
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It was such an inspiring experience to not only feel the pristine energy of these new pine trees but also see them start to thrive again where the ground still was covered in the ashes of their predecessors!!

Life is like that in many ways- we speak of transformation and being like the phoenix. But we need to remember that for new to grow, what is old, what was previously there must get burnt down… and that can be a very painful (dreadful) experience indeed.   (You may want to check out-   Welcoming 2021 with a renewed sense of purpose and exuberance .  Even though it speaks about welcoming 2021, its message holds true for all time.)

Change by its very inherent nature tends to be unsettling to our “security-seeking” life-approach. But when we remember that the very word Samsara, which is the Sanskrit word for our living world, means Change- we realize that change is not only required, but it is inevitable. Change is what allows us to grow and thrive… to constantly evolve and adapt- as if we are in some kind of a game. It is no wonder that in the Vedic tradition, our daily living, our world is compared with a “Game of Life”.

In this past year- it seems like people everywhere are getting angrier day by day- and many are wondering about this world that we are living in!! Even though at the surface level, we may feel a bit sad or even a little apathetic at times- being couped up in the house or being concerned about the world or personal economic situation- It is very important to remember the good that was and will continue to be.

Destruction and re-creation are part of the natural cycle- this is the cycle of time- called Kaal Chakra by the ancient Vedic seers. Literally, it means the Wheel of Time and it indicates the 'Circle of Life'. It reminds us that though we experience time in a linear manner, in reality- the expression of time in our lives and our deeper experience of it in our life has a cyclical pattern to it.

And though experiencing change can be a painful experience, when we keep our focus on the good that has been and will again be- it makes it easier for us to bear a ‘painful present’ life-situation.

After a beautiful Friday, Saturday started with mucky weather in Calgary. Rain, snow and maybe some sleet! So, it was a perfect day to get out into the Kootenays! It was warmer and thankfully no rain or snow... We conducted three short hikes. First to Marble Canyon, second to Paint Pots and third was Fireweed Trail along the continental divide between Alberta and BC. All these places are not just gorgeous, but their history and geography really blows one's mind!

Almost 12% of the Kootenays was burned in a terrible fire in 2003- caused naturally from several lightning strikes. It was great to see nature at work- where new growth was growing from the ashes of the old!

Feels like I left a piece of my heart back in our parks. Cannot wait to go back...

​Categories: 
Comfortable Living,      Conscious Living,    Life Adventures,     Our Path Our Journey   and   Spiritual Lessons

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We are all looking for loving and fulfilling relationships, but how many people truly take stock of all the people in their life. It could be our phone contact list or our social media network. We all tend to have many contacts on our phone that have been there for years on end- where we have neither touched base with them nor have, they contacted us!!

Now I do understand that social media network has different dynamics- though frankly speaking we should a give our social-network a good re-look as well, particularly if you use social media only to keep in touch with friends and family- i.e., you do not use it for professional reasons.

Everything in our “sphere of reference” takes up some energy from us. This is the reason that all Feng Shui, Vaastu and other spatial energy experts- ask us to declutter and remove old and un-used things from our life!! 

But what about the people in our life?? Do we really take the time and make the effort to give a “clear look” to all the people in our life… to ensure that those who surround us are the very type of people that we really want to be hanging around us. If we do not do that, then there will be un-checked toxic and/or stagnant people who will continue to be within our sphere of reference- sapping energy and vitality from us!!

Here is something I like to periodically do in my life- particularly at the start of the year, on my birthday and other personally relevant days.
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• I will go thru my phone list and check out all my personal contacts.
• If it is someone that I have not spoken to or interacted with for some time, then I will send them a quick note (email/text) or give them a quick “hello-call”.
• If we are able to get in touch and rejuvenate our connection, then great. I keep that personal contact on my phone.
• But, if I find that the person did not bother to reply or that there was no meaningful re-connection, then mentally I wish them well, thank them for the time that we did know/interact with each other and then delete their contact information. I remove them not just from my phone-list but also from my mental space and sphere of reference. 

Doing this allows me to keep a clean and clear ‘relationship doorway’ in my life.

This not only ensures that I don’t clog up my ‘personal space’ with uninterested/dis-engaged/toxic folks, but it also gives me a chance to set forth a heart-felt intension out into the universe that- “I am grateful for all the people that it has sent me and that by clearing up my surroundings, I have created the ‘space’ to have new, more meaningful relationships and connections in my life. That I am willing and ready to welcome new, wonderful people in my life.”

Hope you take some time out this new year- to clear up your people-space and make way for new, loving and caring relationships in your life. 

Categories: 
Comfortable Living,      Conscious Living,    Karmic Clearing,     Our Path Our Journey   and   Spiritual Lessons

Keywords and Tags:
#newbeginnings #newrelationship #karmicclearing #saynototoxicpeople #removetoxicpeople #relationships #newfriendship #removenegativerelationship #HappyNewYear2021 #newyear2021 #newyearnewme #newyearsresolution #newyeargoals

​There is a very old folklore. Once upon a time, there was this guy who had been living in an ashram (spiritual school) from a very young age. As he became a young adult, his teacher asked him to go to another nearby town, to spread spiritual knowledge. The teacher told him that he will check in on him in a year to note his progress.

The young man packed his few meagre belongings and started on his journey to the nearby village. It took him a few days of walking thru thick forest, but finally he reached his destination. 

​He gathered some dried grass and sticks and built a small hut for himself. He started with his prayers, but soon he realized that there were many mice in that village and they ran havoc in his little hut. Then at the behest of the villagers, he got a small cat. 

Having the cat in the hut was a big relief. No mice and our fella could sit for hours doing his meditation without any disturbance. But then, he needed to feed his cat. For couple of days, he could borrow some milk from the villagers, but that could not be a long-term solution. So, he decided to get a cow- so that the milk from the cow would feed him and the cat. 
Once the cow came, life seemed to be going really great! He had not eaten a full meal in a long time. Drinking fresh milk in plentiful seemed absolutely heaven sent. But then maintaining a cow was not a simple task! He had to wash her and collect all the dung!

So, he decided to marry- so that his bride could help him with these mundane material duties. But then no girl was willing to marry a person who did not have a job!

So, he decided to start working at a near by farm. Now, his days were spent doing the farm work and his evenings were spent with his new bride.

Soon- he was so caught up in his household chores that he hardly found any time to pray- leave alone do meditation or a long sadhana. Soon, he was so caught up in all his chores and duties that he forgot why he had come to that village in the first place- which was to spread spiritual wisdom!

The year passed by in a jiffy. One day his teacher came to the village looking for him. His teacher was shocked to find him completely ensnared by the ropes of materialism.

Though his teacher was unhappy to see his disciple side-tracked, he wished him well and went back to his own ashram.  Our fella continued with his married life. At first everything seemed to be picture perfect. A nice paying job, a loving wife and a clean hut to live in- what more could he ask! But soon, he had kids and his hut was not big enough for all of them. He needed to get a bigger house which also meant he needed lots of money. So, he decided to borrow money and buy a good house. 

After a few years, his village had a bad spat of drought and hardly any farming activities were possible. He lost his job and soon his lenders started troubling and threatening him to pay back his loan. He did not have the money and finally one day, he felt so low and dejected that he decided to hang himself!! 

A nice young man who had started out on his journey of life with bright dreams in his eyes of starting a great spiritual-preaching practice was there hanging from the tree- ensnared by the ropes of material life!
This story has many versions and is part of ancient folklore in many areas of the world. Though details may change- the crux doesn’t- once the young man gets involved in a material pursuit, in this case- building of the hut; pretty soon, he gets pulled into more and more material obligations finally leading to pain, suffering and dejection! 

So, what are we to do?? Obviously, all of us cannot live the life of a monk and stay in a spiritual facility. In fact, most of us- are real people with real lives- with family, children, business, job and so on. What are we to do?

The key is to be consciously aware of our desires, wants and wishes. Are you living within your means? Are your material goods helping to enrich your life and truly contribute towards allowing you to do and be who you really would like to be, or are your ambitions making you constantly strive for ‘more and more’- more wealth, more fame, more money and so on to the point, where your material objects and objectives ‘own’ you.

Reflect on this- what are you doing in your own life? How can you ensure that your ropes of materialism will help you to build a true and deeply satisfying life and not become your death noose?

Categories: 
Ancient Wisdom,     How To...   ,   Our Path Our Journey ,  Think On This   and   Spiritual Lessons

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