Judgments? Don't trust!

The biggest things that betray us are our judgments. Because they are only our perception of reality.

But the reality is never known. As it is a mystery.

Pleasure at the doorstep..

As you sow, so shall you reap.

Sometimes, a situation for pleasure comes right at your doorstep, though you yourself did not initially wish it.

Being aware and disciplined when a situation for temptation comes in front of you all by itself, without your invitation is very challenging. But at these times too, the principle remains the same- As you sow, so shall you reap.

Mind Games

On the first day of the AOL part 1 course, we are asked- What do I want in my life? When there is a feeling of sadness and I am asked what do I want in life, the answer is- I want all this to cease. May the mind stop thinking. May there be no experience of presence of anything. So then there will be no experience of any cravings and pain. It seems that life can be so much in bliss and happiness when it ceases.

But at some other time, when things in the outer world are pleasant and my inner world is contented and I am asked the same question, I feel that life need not cease..may be I want to live more and enjoy a bit more of the daily chores. So is it that I am chasing pleasantness? So is my mind settled and willing to be dispassionate?

Intellect- do we use it?

Our mind is very deceptive. It actually tries to fool us most of the times by trying to find appropriate reasons to justify what we want to do. Whatever we do in our lives- it is out of our desires and urges. And similarly, if we do not feel like doing something, our mind finds an appropriate reason for not doing it.

Mind is not hollow and empty. So any decision or action that we take by using your intellect or logic is, at a particular level, a reflection of our urges and not rational thinking. Because rational thinking cannot be done by a mind that has impressions and.. hardly anybody’s mind is empty..

Do you react, shy away or respond?

I recently learnt a very interesting thing from my teacher, Harshad Bhaiya about how we deal with situations. Everybody's life has some frustrations triggered by events or people. How do we deal with them? Generally, we do one of the following things-

REACT- You throw back the unpleasantness by reacting. If a person seems to be the cause of pain, then you take ‘revenge’!

SHY AWAY - You take a backseat..

RESPOND - You act- not out of impulsiveness or anger, but out of awareness. And how do you do it?

a) You experience the uncontrolled thoughts and feelings. Since every emotion is time bound, this inner storm certainly calms down.
b) If you figure out that you have a role to play, you play it.

And whats the best way out of them??

When you REACT, things soon turn dirtier and undoubtedly fall back upon you.

When you SHY AWAY, only your body attempts to shy away. Your inner world is in turmoil.

But when you RESPOND, you take the right action without any impression and that makes you get out of the dirt clean.. makes sense? :-)

Distorted Perceptions

Often we get biased about other people due to our past experiences with them. This distorts our perceptions about them with respect to future events and actions.

So, if a person who is desirable does something ‘bad’, we tend to look for a positive reason for his/her action, and whereas if another person who is not so desirable does the same action, he is looked upon in negative light. That person's 'bad intentions' or ego are blamed.

Especially during the times of quarrels, when one's judgement is polluted with bias, more misunderstandings are created.

A mind that judges under the influence of bias or ego always errs. So, be aware of this tendency of mind!