Balance of The Left and The Right

Balance is a wonderful quality to be developed-often ignored in life.

The balance I’m talking about can be   physical , mental as well as emotional .

The Buddhists advocated moderation in everything, a sort of  an in between path.What they probably meant is maintaining a balance in life.

In Hinduism there is the Triguna terminology…. All matter is either Satvic,Tamasic or Rajasic ,not in an absolute sense but in a balance of the three.To reach the absolutely satvic state ,you have to go through a state which contains all the three in the proper proportions or in balance.

The Chinese Yin and Yang is also a sort of Balance-between male and female- between the left side and the right side.

Even the body has a biological balance between the left side and the right.Understanding this balance is crucial in understanding health and well being.There is a delicate balance between sanity and insanity and understanding balance is vital in remaining on this side of sanity.Medical terminology also uses the word unbalanced to denote a mental state of a patient.

The left side of the brain and the right side of the brain are known to have separate functions but the balance between the two is important.

So become more aware of the left side  and the right side of your body and always maintain a physical balance of the two.Even yoga recognises the value of balance and if you see a perfect yogi,all his asanas will convey  BALANCE if you are  a keen observer.The Natraj Asana,of Lord Shiva standing on one leg,is also a perfect example of perfect balance.Garuda Asana is another important asana of Balance or Ek Pada Pranamasana.

So recognise the importance of balance between the left and the right, and practice it at all times.Sitting ,standing , lying down or moving around-be aware totally of the  balance in you.

Start with the physical.The outlook  change  will also happen mentally and emotionally gradually.

The parable of the escapist.

Once upon a time…there was a prison…in a very beautiful place in the  world.
There were strong prison bars all around the prison,but people  inside the prison were free..
The prisoners were fed good food,and were looked after so well that no one thought of escaping from this prison to a life of  freedom.
No one except one person.
This person tried to escape by squeezing between the bars,because he was thin.But try as he would ,he could not squeeze through.If he could not squeeze through then no one else could as he was the thinnest of all the prisoners.But this man was desperate to escape.So desperate that one day he discovered a way he could escape.He started fasting quietly,all on his own.Day by day, he started loosing weight.One day,after fasting on and off  for four weeks,he tried to squeeze out between the bars.Lo and behold.He was out of the prison.

He called all the prisoners,told all of them that he could squeeze out of prison and escape.They asked him how he did it and he told them the secret.He said goodbye to all of them and squeezed out.Some of the prisoners were happy that atleast one amongst them had become free and  cheered him and wished him good luck.But there were others who told him how could he run away leaving them behind and told him he was selfish.The man turned around to these people” I have told you the secret and I will be very happy if all of you follow me in my freedom.” And this man escaped.

End of Parable.The question is Was this man right in escaping or should he have stayed back in prison for the rest of his life with his other colleagues?

The second question is were his colleagues right in calling him selfish or should they have been happy that atleast one of them had found freedom?

Developing The Distant Gaze

 

Walking on a beach,or jogging in a park,when  crossing  people in the opposite direction,the normal human tendency is to look at the person passing by.

There is a certain mind energy drain in this process as the mind  gets activated  and starts a judgemental process about that person.This starts an unneccessary chain reaction . 

So also ,if you are seated at the back, in a car or a train ,you will see all the advertising billboards passing you by, and your mind will pass silent  comments on them  like good,bad, etc. etc .

To avoid unneccesary mind activity in these type of situations,learn to develop the distant gaze.

The Distant Gaze is to be practiced only when you are on your own.And obviously,not while driving a car.

Look at a faraway point,and let people,buildings,trees,all pass you by.Do not observe any specific particulars.Try and make your mind vacant at that point,like a no-mind meditation.

This will  also develop  a certain detachment. A distancing device that will make you more alert ,more aware,as a witness.It will sharpen your mind as there will be no other mind activity during the period of Distant Gaze.

You often see it in films when a person is in a state of shock.People go out of focus or they hear only distorted sounds because  they are not in full control of their senses.

But  here you are practicing the Distant Gaze, in full control,with great awareness and only during certain periods,when you wish to meditate but cant close your eyes.

The Distant Gaze is a meditation technique with your eyes open.

The real world will slowly become a dream world and the dream world will become more real.

Make the moon your friend

Most people ignore the moon.
They take it for granted.
There are too many other problems that they have to cope with in day to day life.Who has time to look up and gaze at the moon?And it is so unpredictable.One day it is there,the next day it is somewhere else at the same time.No consistency,like the sun…..
But make friends with the moon..Study it a bit and you will soon know where exactly to look for it and at what time.
And why should anyone bother to make friends with it?
It is our closest neighbour in space.
It is visible to us most of the time,in all its beauty.
It affects our life on earth so much.
If you associate the moon with nature and if you associate nature with God,then making the moon your friend is like making God your friend.
The moon will widen your mindscape regularly if you take out time to gaze at it lovingly like you do for sunsets.
If you learn to talk with the moon in your mind,it will show itself to you regularly when you are least expecting it.Try it out.And the full moon is such a lovely friend to have ,and the moonlight it showers on you will make you so peaceful and so blissful.
So why not make friends with the moon?

Cinema as a meditation device

One of the most common escape from boredom devices in the world is cinema.Most cinema has nothing to do with reality and is purely escapist by nature.This is true of 90 % of commercial cinema.But there is that other 10% (this could vary from country to country) and this  10% sometimes takes you onto another level totally. This can be used as an escape route (meditation device) to go within .This cinema as  meditation technique uses an emotional frame of mind, which you may be in,after seeing an intensely moving film made by a great director.You don’t wish to talk to anybody immediately after the movie  and you want to “digest” the movie and internalize the experience you have just gone through.This is the best time to meditate.Find a quiet place,carry over the mood you are in and meditate on the movie.Slowly ,let the movie settle down and now be left with just the mood.Use the mood to get deeper inside you .

Do your own variations.The idea is to use what the great film makers do to move you when you are inside movie theatres ,but you use those moods outside, creatively and personally , to grow spiritually inside.

 

Doing nothing

Sitting quietly

Doing nothing

Spring comes

And the grass grows by itself.

- A Zen Poet.

Zen is minimalist.

Sitting (Meditating)

Quietly (No chattering thoughts)

Doing Nothing (no lists,)

Spring comes (All is cyclical)

And the grass grows by itself (Nature happens on its own and is effortless.YOU are not required).

The universe is governed by its own laws.
Nature,seasons,time,the sun,moon ,earth-all move on their own.
So Relax.Meditate.Work.Relax.Play.Relax.

Do everything with the zen approach to life.
Effortlessly.Quietly.Appreciatingly.Lovingly.

Beauty appreciation

“On whose door does the moonlight not shine?”
-A Zen Poet

“Beauty is all around.
If only man has the time to appreciate it.”

With Zen, you can approach the within from the without.
Enjoying a cup of tea can become a spiritual experience.
Everything is poetry if you are a poet.
Everything is art if you are a painter.
“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.”

The great escape

 

When I say escape I dont mean run away from -on the contrary I mean run towards.
When I say escape routes there is no negativity in the idea.
All the escape routes I’m taking  are totally positive,they are ways to go within with a certain mindset,and they are ways to live in the outside world with a certain mindset.
Each person has to select his own route.There are so many other  escape routes that I  do not know.Each person has to select a combination of different routes,like a mix and match to fit his own persona.Thats why the routes become so interesting.Thats why this story is fun to write.
Some of the escapes routes I like .
1.Selective Taoist ideas.
2.A Zen way of life.
3.Yogic Viewpoints of Patanjali.

4.Traditional Buddhist Sutras.

5.Hindu Upanishadic thoughts.

6.Sufi Dancing

7.Religious Prayers of all religions of the world

These escape routes are interesing on their own but together they become The Great Escape.

This list will keep expanding as the blog progresses.