Life and Spirituality

P erchance you saw a homeless beggar on the street one day and either felt sorry for him or ignored him. He has a body and consciousness that makes him alive just as you have but did you realize that it is parts of the same consciousness that flows through him or you or anyone else for that matter even animals, trees, bacteria, grass; everything that is life has a consciousness. Most do not realize that it is parts of the same although few mystics do. In another time or place it could be me or you that are that beggar because the condition of that consciousness that we have presently assigned to ourselves changes with time and place. It has been doing so ever since the beginning of time because material things like our bodies are born, changes and dies but consciousness is everlasting. Out of it all this was created. Not just mystics but the most learned of all scientists realize it too. As Einstein said, A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a p...

The Author greeting the morning Sun at his bedroom window L ife is made up of good days and bad days. When a day was not going well, my Grandma used to say, whose inauspicious face have I seen this morning? How far this applies to other humans is a matter of study but it goes without saying that a good beginning makes for a good day. Here are five simple tips that go to make a good start, some well known and others not so well known, 1. A Cup of tea :   Just after getting up, most humans rush to the toilet; it may be for a small job or a big one. Many postpone the bigger task to after their cup of tea or coffee. However if you do not get to it until after breakfast then you need to review your diet or even see a doctor perhaps. When you enter the toilet first thing in the morning, it is a good idea to gargle your mouth, wash hands and face with fresh clean water to get rid of bacteria that may have developed during peaceful hours of sleep so as too freshen up for a cup ...

" A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space . He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish it but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.”   Albert Einstein M y professional career was that of an engineer, scientist and academic but nowadays I sometimes describe myself a mystic when talking on spiritual matters. Some have inquired what that means and if it same as a religious person. No, a mystic is just as different from a religious person as a religious priest is different from a business man, although some of the much evolved ones have been recognized as saints by different religions. A mystic may have originally belonged to a religion and would therefore be called for exampl...

P erhaps the most revered sacred spiritual text in the lands below the Himalayas is Bhagvat Gita which means the Divine Song. One of its verses says that it is important for great and leading men in society to do the right thing because whatsoever a great man does, others tend to emulate. Similar sentiments are echoed across all of the great works of philosophy and spirituality across the world. Just as it is with individuals so it is with nations. It is important for them to do the right thing because other nations tend to emulate them. Over the past seventy years, ever since WWII, America has emerged as the leading nation in the world. It has the largest economy and the strongest army. Recently, the current President of the US, Barack Obama stated in his last State of the Union address that Americans must be proud because America is the strongest nation and it is the envy of other nations. He was right only partly. America is undoubtedly the strongest nation but it i...

Golu (Naynesh) Age 7 in the Garden, may God bless him R ecently I read a profound tweet which said a life is successful if it puts more into the world than it takes out of it. While one finds humans of all kinds, it is among trees and plant life even grasses that one finds lives that give much more than they take from the world. No wonder, they live in peace and happiness from all accounts that a mystic can sense since such things are beyond measurement by science. This happiness is shared with other life forms when they enter green surroundings. One of the greatest pleasures available to humans in life is spending time with the green side of life. For those of us who live mostly in urban areas, some of this love can be experienced even in a small garden, flower pots and visits to the countryside.A human being can return much to earth and become carbon neutral as well if he or she plants trees as often as they can in their adult years at home, office and countryside. Wh...

The Money-lender and His Wife, by Quentin Metsys, 1514. Louvre Museum F or centuries a moneylender has existed in South Asian villages. He tells you that you can take any amount of money you need for anything you wish; only there shall be small monthly interest. They must remember to pay the interest regularly or with compounding, it would become huge, but they can take their time to pay back the original amount. Just in case they cannot pay that back too; they shall just hold the land as collateral. Since needs arise often, villagers take loans often. For centuries the money lender has become richer while the villagers impoverished. Money lenders who became very rich moved to cities and then the world and some of the richest persons in the world are from among such communities. The modern version of the village moneylender is banks that have pushed individuals and nations into a life of debt from the monthly credit card loan to huge ones on their homes or nations. Bu...

W hile different hermits in the Himalayas follow different dietary patterns and restrictions, this is a description of a common one that consists of five types of food. These are Wheat : Usually as flat unleavened bread made on an open wood fire but at times also as cracked wheat boiled with milk added to it. A few also use semolina cooked as a sweet mashed preparation. Mystic hermits live a life in harmony with nature and would not cut a tree for their wood needs. Much dead wood may be found on the forest floor along with twigs and dry leaf useful to get the fire going. If necessary some branches might be taken from a tree. However, hermits often tend to young tree saplings that come up on their own in the forest clearing weeds from around them to improve their chances of survival or by shifting them to safer locations. The flat round pieces of bread cooked on wood fire called roti are delicious when eaten hot, straight off the hot plate, and with some clarified butter spread...