Life and Spirituality

O nce there was a farmer who had two good looking sons. The farmer and his wife worked hard for several years on the farm and saved enough to send their sons to a very good school on top of the mountain behind the village. It was an expensive residential school but very well known for its excellent training and education. Students from far off lands came to study there. When the two boys were nine and ten year old, the farmer and his wife admitted them to the school with the help of the Principal by the name of Lew who had become an acquaintance. Lew used to come down the mountain for walks on holidays, to visit the farms and for a picnic in the nearby Sherwood Forest. The older boy did not like the hard discipline of school at all. He found study hours hard and physical training classes tiresome and complained about it endlessly. It was so much nicer with the freedom to play and do as one liked at home. The younger boy, however, was grateful to his parents for havi...

On a boat in Nainital W hen a blog is an old one like the present one, it tends to get unwieldy and gathers a lot of unnecessary baggage. It is then time to start a new one. I did precisely that a few days ago. The new blog is simpler in structure and confined exclusively to spirituality unlike the present one that contains a lot else on life, from food to trees; economy to policy; poetry to humor, some even a bit ribald. Much of the content of the new blog is selected from this one and some of my other blogs. However, while the original was often published in a hurry, now it has the benefit of editing as well as the benefit of experience. If you have been a follower of this blog please do check out the new one too. I have put a link for follow there in the left side bar so your image would then be displayed if you follow. Please do. I will continue to post in this blog from time to time but more frequently over there now perhaps. If you leave a comment there suggestin...

T hese are the majority. They may not do much good for others but they do not harm others much either, at least not intentionally. They strive not enough but are quick to fold their hands and lie down to rest. This day shall pass and another shall come and so shall their poverty. The universe shall do them no great harm since they harm none. The harm they do themselves suffices. Yet there are days of song and dance that shall bring some joy to their weary days. There is a minority of the opposite kind too, those who strive and struggle much. They rest not. As days pass they accumulate much wealth,   enough to pass their days in peace, in beauty and joy, for as long as they remain upon the face of the earth. Yet most are stupid. Instead of enjoying the song of birds and the song of loved ones, lending a helping hand to a fellow human, to the birds and the forests, they continue to struggle. They got enamored of false pleasures, of trying to have yet more. So overpoweri...

Spinach mixed with Balsam flowers growing against a  boundary wall in author's home A n earlier post had described that if one had space indoors and light through windows then it is a lovely idea to grow herbs and other things indoors in pots. However, if the season is right and you have some space to garden outdoors then mixing in leafy vegetables like spinach, celery, goosefoot, lettuce etc. is a wonderful idea in flower beds. They look wonderful as shown in the picture from my garden. It shows spinach growing in with balsam flowers in a small strip against a boundary wall. Then one can go on to add small fruit trees and berry bushes in the garden too. Just a bit of a lemon tree is visible on the right of the picture. One may also include herbal bushes like basil, sage and curry leaf in the garden. I have several in mine. When there are edible things growing around the garden, then one can make any meal delightful by adding some fresh organic green things picked ri...

T he sun is barely up We have one here who is ready to begin a new day. Just now though there is a little time to sit down over a cup of coffee, to worry about so many things humans have to worry about every day of their lives, to deal with their fears and to make plans to escape them, plans against so many different problems that can arise in a life. Soon he must dress up and rush to work. The work shall be weary, that daily grind, but it will serve to distract from worries, fears and insecurities for a while. But today he is greeted by Babaji, “Son you are worrying about so many things but you are forgetting the most important one. Soon these weary days shall become to an end, suddenly, unexpectedly. While your flesh and bones returns to the Earth from whence it arose, your soul shall escape. It shall look down at your body and say, “Look at this pitiable body that lies here in the ground, soon it shall rot and the stench shall be unbearable, or the maggots w...

Karma is a pain We have one here whose life is nothing but pain and suffering. People he could have counted on - spouse, siblings even children and friends provide no solace but add to his woes. There is pain in the body and there is pain in the pocket as financial worries trouble. He tosses and turns in his bed at night as anguish, trauma and memories of injustices torment his soul. There is neither good food to eat nor a good place to live. He has lost all hope in this world. He looks upward and beyond, is there a god up there who might help? He learns of the value of truth as from his suffering compassion and wisdom. His troubles may be steep but he finds solace in lending a helping hand to a fellow human, in little deeds of kindness. The Unseen Eye watches all. Time and forgiveness wipes out his anguish and tears. His traumas are lost in the mists of time and history. People around him become sweet again and there is good money and profits that have begun to po...

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aquarium,_indoor_plants,_interior,_lace_Fortepan_61004.jpg I f you have windows in your home through which sunlight comes in for a part of the day and if there is some space beside it to spare, then indoor potted plants are a wonderful addition, especially in places where the winter is freezing and there is snow outdoors for a part of the season. Such plants do not spread dirt inside as long as there are trays beneath the pots to catch water that drains out. The plants can be those with decorative foliage, flowers, herbs or even young trees that you rear indoor for planting outdoors in spring and summer. Such pots can be moved outdoors or indoors according to the season. If you grow herbs like celery there shall always be fresh green leaves on your dinner plate whenever you wish. The leaves are the healthiest parts and this is what is eaten in Arab countries where the plant originates and not the stalk, roots, oil or salt...

Jai Ma Nanda, Jai Sunanda Nanda Devi and Sunanda Devi: Main and East Summits (photo: Alex Moran) With permission f rom http://www.moran-mountain.co.uk/moran-mountaineering/Nanda%20Devi%20East.htm   J ust as there is little substance in dress one wears but more in real worth of a person;. a crooked rascal may wear a fine suit and tie and make silly putty of others, so it is with high sounding names and titles. Nevertheless, despite this fault, one has to put on the right dress to suit one’s mission in life, for a door may shut because of a wrong dress even before someone has had a chance to take a good look. It is just as a fine book may go unread because it has a poor cover. So it with names and titles too, albeit it is a superficial thing It was mentioned in an earlier post that I have been guided much in life by spiritual guidance for many years, both in my not-so-spiritual days and now when it has become more spiritual. Back in early nineties, an emin...

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reine_panoramic_Lofoten.jpg   A s you look around the world through readily accessible media, you would find entire regions from Libya to Afghanistan through Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia are disrupted. Millions of humans, children are fleeing for their lives leaving home and all behind. Never before in the history of mankind have there been so many refugees in the world. While some of these drown in the oceans while escaping, some of the others that reach safety of countries like Australia or America stand a good chance of being captured and imprisoned in inhumane conditions, even children, even for years together. One discovers that child poverty is rampant in the richest countries of the world like USA and UK and there are homeless persons dying on the streets.   When one reflects on the situation, one would perhaps arrive at the conclusion that at the root of so much human misery is nothing other than evil. It ...

I n our journey through life we confront good and bad times for such is the nature of life. Troubles arise from a whole range of issues varying from natural disasters, accidents, health, financial or legal etc. A very large proportion of our problems are due to other humans. While some help us forward in our journey through life or are just joyous companions, there are others who spare no effort to make it miserable. One can move away from people who are not helpful or even evil but there are some one cannot move from in a hurry. These are people one works with in a job or members of one’s family if they turn out to be the difficult ones. The best one can do at such times is to cope with difficulties, the best one can, as they arise while hoping and working towards better days ahead. Quite often humans add another dimension to the problem. When they are wronged by other humans, they carry with them feelings of hurt or anger towards such persons. While difficulties when t...

http://publicdomainarchive.com/category/landscapes/ M other Earth has a varied topography across the globe from fertile plains, arid lands, deserts, hills and mountains. Some parts are covered with snow while others are grasslands and forests. On this dwells a huge variety of life ranging from tiny bacteria to humans with Mother Earth providing food and sustenance for all. A huge role is played by forests in keeping the planet healthy. While forests provide food and shelter for many wild animals and birds, they are also a source of energy and building materials for humans. Over the last century and a half, as human population has grown exponentially, humans have caused huge damage to forests. Some have been cleared for agriculture and others to utilize wood for construction and industrial activity without replacing with new trees. While both fossil fuel emissions and deforestation contributes to climate change, it is the belief of this author, as explained in sev...