We saw the movie 'Bhulbhulaiya'. Its a very nice movie; a different concept, integrated with comedy and a very scientific view over myths. Although, the sound effects through the movie were quite horrifying and created a different mood.
The best part I liked in the movie was the case study presented by the character, psychiatrist, 'Dr. Aditya Shrivastava'. Initially, everyone thought the 'haveli' was haunted by ghosts. Later, this was proved wrong by this intelligent psychiatrist in a very logical and impressive way. And this case took my attention. It may be fiction but surely seems to be quite logical with the name given to the disease 'Dissociative Identity Disorder'. Whatever the reason was in the movie for that particular patient to host the disease, and what I have learned in the 11-day Vipassna shibir at Igatpuri in Maharashtra, India, made me once again think on the universal rule of controlling your own mind. Our guru 'Sri Goenka' always says "Anything for which only our mind gets convinced is only buddhi vilas" whereas anything we experience on our own is actual learning and going ahead on the journey of 'Truth and Dharma'.
Having stayed in India for almost 25 yrs in Madhya Pradesh, I have been hearing a lot about tona-totkas/tantras and tantriks and black magic,etc. Such things as black magic are practised quite actively in and around Ujjain and other parts of India.
And people have been believing in them because of all the incidents that have taken place in the past.
Stopping such nonsense and games with nature is not in our hands but we can definitely do what is there in our hands.
The movie has definitely strengthened my views and will to meditate in order to take the control of my mind and soul into my conscious brain.
Now I really believe that whatever incidents that have been taking place under the name of black magic were only because victims didn't have control over their minds. They were not aware of what was happening to them, how they were behaving.
As guruji says our body is made up of 'Panchabhuta' : 'Jal, Prithvi, Vayu, Agni, Akasha'. These five 'bhutas' are present in the smallest part of our body, the cell. And thus, these five bhutas are responsible not only for our health but also for our behaviour. A very good experiment conveying this would be eating different types of food. And then observing our bodies. My own experience, whenever I start my day with very spicy and hot breakfast, chances are that I would be angry throught the day or, rather, slowly as the digestion begins, my anger will also start shooting up.And I may feel acidic as well.
Although, the above mentioned hard problem can be controlled only with good eating habbits, the soft problem can be tackled with a good self-observation habit. Not to forget, controlling the hard problems, in a way, help us tackle the soft issues. But finally its on our will to maximise the use of our conscious brain and observing our behaviour patterns (jal-cool, relaxed, patient, crying, etc., vayu- scared, etc., agni-anger, revenge,etc., space-void, confused, tensedetc.,prithvi-ego,etc.)
I had a very nice experience, just to illustrate, day before yesterday. My daughter, 16 months toddler, is too young to understand my grievances. Still, I really get very very upset or angry for her knowledge and experience hunger most of the times. That day, after all day's tiring chores, I was trying to make her sleep in the night. She was almost asleep when she suddenly got excited looking into my eyes. She very cutely repeated 2-3 times 'Aai', the name by which she calls me. But they didn't sound so cute at that instant, because she reached that state of 'almost asleep' after 20 minutes of hard work. And there it reached back to square one.I got very very angry. But suddenly, don't know how come, something urged my mind to rethink the reason I was getting angry for.And I realised that she just wanted to be cuddled and pampered before the good night's sleep. It was just the starting of the urge to revise all self observation lessons that i learned at the Vipassana shibir.
And to add to it, I saw the movie the next day. And it definitely has motivated me to start practising vipassana once again, out of all the odds of being a mother and a housewife. Now that the new year is arriving soon, this is going to be one of my new year resolutions and I am starting the practise from tonight itself, before going to sleep, to come out of the the long disturbing sleep I have been into; that really had been shaking my line of a balanced and controlled mind.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Where are we lost? Lets get back on track
Yesterday I went to Takashimaya with my husband for buying something worthy for the S$ 200 voucher I got from some promotion. We went through all the five levels of the mall but couldn't figure out anything. So we returned back home all fatigued. But I was really astounded looking at the number of people who were there for actually buying the high-end stuff.
Its so strange that we are turning more and more materialistic everyday.There used to be times when we were so tiny and innocent that we never even knew what brand clothes we used to wear. In fact I don't even remember wearing any branded stuff then.We were never bothered of what watch we had. Those were the times when we hadn't even heard of mobile phones. We were quite calm and patient to wait for any awaited news, we even weren't much worried if our near and dear ones were an hour late. We knew they would come back soon ... we knew that they would be stuck somewhere.
Those days were so beautiful .... we used to enjoy the simplest and tiniest things.
I still remember Birla House (gardens) in our town which will always be close to my heart. We used to go there at any hour of the day ...... it was so peaceful to be in the arms of shadows of those lovely tall green trees .. between those beautiful roses ... sitting at the river bank just observing nature, appreciating the beautiful colours, the lovely cool breeze, niticing each and every single audible sound, the rhythmic hu-hu-ing of the afternoon birds which we never saw .... but just imagined that there must be some bird who made that particular rhythmic sound every second.
But, in contrast, today we are in such a hurry, we don't even realise if the cool breeze, that we had loved the most to walk with, is blowing in the evening ( we are so occupied with the routine activities and thoughts and tensions). Instead we prefer to visit the air con malls and spend time and money for so called "branded" stuff and be happy about flaunting it. Today we have become so impatient and anxious that we can't wait for even a second to know an awaited news. We can't even wait for five or ten extra minutes for somebody who might be stuck in a traffic jam ( which we already know somewhere in our minds). We are compelled to make a call asap. Not only this, our tolerance has also reduced drastically. And to top it all our egos have increased manifolds. And the irony is that we don't even realise that we are going farther and farther from the real "I" which God created.
Its not the story of the developed cities. Whenever I go to India, and whenever I visit a mall, its always packed with shoppers. All we do on a weekend is shopping, shopping and more shopping and eating more and more junk food and accumulating more and more plastic bags at home. But is this all taking us anywhere? Oh yes, it is ... to more and more weight gain and more and more health problems waiting for future and more and more attachment and love for all the artificial stuff thereby more and more craving for such things.
I still remember those days when residential apartments were merely 2-3 storied. Lifts weren't used then. And thus it added for a compulsory exercise for everyone. Most of the times people used to go walking to the market or by a bicycle, which again meant more exercise automatically. Unlike today, when we are so much dependent on vehicles, not only dependant, we love to flaunt them.
Those were the times when we were so very involved in our families. We knew each and every happenings of all the family members unlike today when the mother, being working has her own separate world, a father has his own routine and priorities and children are also groomed in the similar fashion of having privacy of their own. Today everybody wants some "personal space" in any relationship. And thus families are getting farther from each other.
I never thought that I would also get painted in the same urban colours in which the entire urban generation is painted with... but ironically, I am. And only I am responsible for it.
We want to earn more and more money to spend on all these materialistic things ...on branded clothes, on skin treatments, on hair styling, on cosmetics, on all luxuries, to buy a house, then a larger house, then a more beautiful house, then a house for our status .... but where has our home got lost in it? Where have our souls got lost in it? The greed for more is increasing and never ending. And everything seems to be a necessity when actually it may not be .... we can even do without lots of such "necessities".
One day suddenly we will be old and start finding all these top priority necessities of today absolutely meaningless then. And all our efforts and attachments and craving for what we what we are doing today will be dumped with the biggest loss of "time" which is never going to return back. Not forgetting the health concerns because of today's lifestyle.
This doesn't mean that we stop using the benefits of science and the latest technologies, but finally its on us of how habitual we get to what. If we keep assessing of where our present is leading us to; in the long run, and keep taking appropriate measures, I am sure we can lead a simpler, more meaningful and satisfactory life till the end.
Its so strange that we are turning more and more materialistic everyday.There used to be times when we were so tiny and innocent that we never even knew what brand clothes we used to wear. In fact I don't even remember wearing any branded stuff then.We were never bothered of what watch we had. Those were the times when we hadn't even heard of mobile phones. We were quite calm and patient to wait for any awaited news, we even weren't much worried if our near and dear ones were an hour late. We knew they would come back soon ... we knew that they would be stuck somewhere.
Those days were so beautiful .... we used to enjoy the simplest and tiniest things.
I still remember Birla House (gardens) in our town which will always be close to my heart. We used to go there at any hour of the day ...... it was so peaceful to be in the arms of shadows of those lovely tall green trees .. between those beautiful roses ... sitting at the river bank just observing nature, appreciating the beautiful colours, the lovely cool breeze, niticing each and every single audible sound, the rhythmic hu-hu-ing of the afternoon birds which we never saw .... but just imagined that there must be some bird who made that particular rhythmic sound every second.
But, in contrast, today we are in such a hurry, we don't even realise if the cool breeze, that we had loved the most to walk with, is blowing in the evening ( we are so occupied with the routine activities and thoughts and tensions). Instead we prefer to visit the air con malls and spend time and money for so called "branded" stuff and be happy about flaunting it. Today we have become so impatient and anxious that we can't wait for even a second to know an awaited news. We can't even wait for five or ten extra minutes for somebody who might be stuck in a traffic jam ( which we already know somewhere in our minds). We are compelled to make a call asap. Not only this, our tolerance has also reduced drastically. And to top it all our egos have increased manifolds. And the irony is that we don't even realise that we are going farther and farther from the real "I" which God created.
Its not the story of the developed cities. Whenever I go to India, and whenever I visit a mall, its always packed with shoppers. All we do on a weekend is shopping, shopping and more shopping and eating more and more junk food and accumulating more and more plastic bags at home. But is this all taking us anywhere? Oh yes, it is ... to more and more weight gain and more and more health problems waiting for future and more and more attachment and love for all the artificial stuff thereby more and more craving for such things.
I still remember those days when residential apartments were merely 2-3 storied. Lifts weren't used then. And thus it added for a compulsory exercise for everyone. Most of the times people used to go walking to the market or by a bicycle, which again meant more exercise automatically. Unlike today, when we are so much dependent on vehicles, not only dependant, we love to flaunt them.
Those were the times when we were so very involved in our families. We knew each and every happenings of all the family members unlike today when the mother, being working has her own separate world, a father has his own routine and priorities and children are also groomed in the similar fashion of having privacy of their own. Today everybody wants some "personal space" in any relationship. And thus families are getting farther from each other.
I never thought that I would also get painted in the same urban colours in which the entire urban generation is painted with... but ironically, I am. And only I am responsible for it.
We want to earn more and more money to spend on all these materialistic things ...on branded clothes, on skin treatments, on hair styling, on cosmetics, on all luxuries, to buy a house, then a larger house, then a more beautiful house, then a house for our status .... but where has our home got lost in it? Where have our souls got lost in it? The greed for more is increasing and never ending. And everything seems to be a necessity when actually it may not be .... we can even do without lots of such "necessities".
One day suddenly we will be old and start finding all these top priority necessities of today absolutely meaningless then. And all our efforts and attachments and craving for what we what we are doing today will be dumped with the biggest loss of "time" which is never going to return back. Not forgetting the health concerns because of today's lifestyle.
This doesn't mean that we stop using the benefits of science and the latest technologies, but finally its on us of how habitual we get to what. If we keep assessing of where our present is leading us to; in the long run, and keep taking appropriate measures, I am sure we can lead a simpler, more meaningful and satisfactory life till the end.
Monday, July 23, 2007
A break in time saves nine
One day I was generally very annoyed and had absolutely lost focus from my work. Then I realised that its been almost a month since i had a break from my routine last. This is the first time I had skipped taking a break for so long. And I realised the importance of taking a break...........
Just as important is eating,drinking or exercising for us ... so is taking a break.
We all must have seen the famous Nestle chocolate ad ... "Have a break have a Kit-Kat".
I was really impressed by the one-liner.
But that "Kit-Kat" needn't be the chocolate
Before we start working, the required daily and long-term breaks are taken care of by our schools and colleges in the form of recess, vacations, picnics, sports fests, cultural fests, competitions, etc.
But as we move ahead in our lives, this important phenomena of taking a break is often forgotten. We get more and more engaged in our routine activities. And, especially, if we don't have any passions, then we get very easily converted into human machines.
A break is nothing but a change of activity for some time. You must try to have this change in routine once a week. Make sure that you try doing something different on weekends. Even eat something different than normal once a week.
At work as well, keep taking breaks at regular intervals of time. Even 5-10 minutes are sufficient enough to refresh your mind.
Monotony always deteriorates the quality of work; be it household chore or a very important task in the office.Taking a break can do wonders even in a cut-throat situation. When you need creative ideas the most, and your brain stops responding, believe me, a break can help you more than anyone. This is my own experience. We may not realise it, but the fact is that taking a break not only maintains the interest in life, it also increases creativity and productivity, thereby, making us more efficient.
Other than routine breaks, long half-yearly or yearly breaks are also very essential. This may include going on a holiday, on a tour, on trekking, or any other adventure sport. Not only it makes you come out of the daily routine, but it also gives a great push to your passions. You get to spend some real good time with your family and friends which is a good way to get closer to them. It also acts as meditation as you are only in your present in such breaks. And not only this, you can learn or experience something new during this time.
The logic is simple. Taking a break basically distracts your brain, thereby discontinuing whatever you had been doing and thinking. The brain gets involved in some other activity. Once you are back, you start afresh and if you were stuck in a problem, possibility is that you may find a solution after the break. You get some new ideas. Not only this, you are more motivated and dedicated to do the same work.
Lastly, not to forget the added health benefits. Even doctors recommend taking a short walk every half an hour as it is difficult to exercise in today's fast and easy lifestyle. And lack of mobility and exercise makes you more prone to severe diseases. Taking a break also helps relax eyes. As they say the '20-20-20' rule (especially for the computer professionals): every 20 minutes focus your eyes at a distance of 20 meters and blink your eyes for 20 seconds. And, if during these breaks, you also manage to stretch, then nothing like it. It really makes a lot of difference.
So go ahead and have a break.
Just as important is eating,drinking or exercising for us ... so is taking a break.
We all must have seen the famous Nestle chocolate ad ... "Have a break have a Kit-Kat".
I was really impressed by the one-liner.
But that "Kit-Kat" needn't be the chocolate
Before we start working, the required daily and long-term breaks are taken care of by our schools and colleges in the form of recess, vacations, picnics, sports fests, cultural fests, competitions, etc.
But as we move ahead in our lives, this important phenomena of taking a break is often forgotten. We get more and more engaged in our routine activities. And, especially, if we don't have any passions, then we get very easily converted into human machines.
A break is nothing but a change of activity for some time. You must try to have this change in routine once a week. Make sure that you try doing something different on weekends. Even eat something different than normal once a week.
At work as well, keep taking breaks at regular intervals of time. Even 5-10 minutes are sufficient enough to refresh your mind.
Monotony always deteriorates the quality of work; be it household chore or a very important task in the office.Taking a break can do wonders even in a cut-throat situation. When you need creative ideas the most, and your brain stops responding, believe me, a break can help you more than anyone. This is my own experience. We may not realise it, but the fact is that taking a break not only maintains the interest in life, it also increases creativity and productivity, thereby, making us more efficient.
Other than routine breaks, long half-yearly or yearly breaks are also very essential. This may include going on a holiday, on a tour, on trekking, or any other adventure sport. Not only it makes you come out of the daily routine, but it also gives a great push to your passions. You get to spend some real good time with your family and friends which is a good way to get closer to them. It also acts as meditation as you are only in your present in such breaks. And not only this, you can learn or experience something new during this time.
The logic is simple. Taking a break basically distracts your brain, thereby discontinuing whatever you had been doing and thinking. The brain gets involved in some other activity. Once you are back, you start afresh and if you were stuck in a problem, possibility is that you may find a solution after the break. You get some new ideas. Not only this, you are more motivated and dedicated to do the same work.
Lastly, not to forget the added health benefits. Even doctors recommend taking a short walk every half an hour as it is difficult to exercise in today's fast and easy lifestyle. And lack of mobility and exercise makes you more prone to severe diseases. Taking a break also helps relax eyes. As they say the '20-20-20' rule (especially for the computer professionals): every 20 minutes focus your eyes at a distance of 20 meters and blink your eyes for 20 seconds. And, if during these breaks, you also manage to stretch, then nothing like it. It really makes a lot of difference.
So go ahead and have a break.
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