Love Break

Oh! It does sound like some “commercial” break (for those TV ads!)…

The break in relationship is what is meant.

During those black and white movie days, I do remember the audience voice a deep appreciation in almost a chorus, when that hero or the heroine stage-manages a love-break, feigning some treachery, just to save the other from abrupt, premature widowhood/widower hood, as also to holdback the information about being stricken by some fatal disease (usually it is cancer, in those days, since this was the only sure-death disease that common folk were aware of!).

But that is not the only kind of love that would break us apart.

What if a sprinter loses a leg? A percussion artist or a painter loses a finger? A football player finds the kneecap injury incurable? A vocalist loses the vocal chords?

And in most marriages the better half tastes like a bitter half after the initial glamour! Getting along for the ‘rest’ of the life is not an easy thing, when this love breaks!

It is excellent, if the youngsters seek and find clarity by themselves for themselves, since the whole concept is purely “experiential”, and somebody can give only some kind of indicative reference by way of inspiration/motivation.

It is indeed worth the effort, because, if the work, the duty, becomes like a love-affair, then the rest of the life seems restful, though hectic !

Psn(27^th April, 2010)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110425031831AAwIa0V

The question:

What does if love break?

When friendship/ relationship breaks, enemity arise?
What does if love break?

My answer:

When love breaks, only two possibilities.
First, the usual possibility, a dejection, a seeking afresh, a search 'all over again' , etc. (It is the dejection, the depression, the unfulfilled desire that may give rise to a negative emotion, an emotion which is opposite of love--the positive emotion. The vulnerability due to this dejection is far more, and seldom gives the needed 'space' for a person to restart, to begin afresh!).
..
Second, the unusual, the uncommon, the rare, the lucky/fortunate possibility. Clarity about the nature of relationship. Even death 'breaks' the narrow love of the proximity, and clarity elevates a person to NOW EXPERIENCE the bodiless being as a part of oneself. So nothing prevents from holding the person within us, in our heart, even though at gross levels that 'other' person refuses to allow us to see his/her face even!
..
(A wonderful question, indeed! A person who is keen to look deeper, for that person a wonderful possibility opens up!) Thanks for that!

Cursorily a curse, eventually a blessing.

It is an oddity that I happened to notice, which made me delve a little deeper into the significance of the usage, of a couple of words. While the ‘rest of the country’ sought for asheervad (blessing), people belonging to God’s own country just asked for Anugraha (benediction)!.

And now somebody is keen to know whether we are cursed or blessed?

The intent is laudable. Somebody is very keen to get his exact bearings! To begin a journey the very first thing we need to know is where we are right now! Without knowing that, no sense of direction can ‘work’ accurately. It is wonderful to see the youth waking up very early, while they still have the age, energy, the strong will, and still more importantly, the strong sense of discretion. Once the clarity occurs, everything HAS to work their way, and everything around HAS to work like a blessing!

That is what motivates me to ‘hang on’…… for a while longer at least…….. The keenness of the youth to know the basics, the fundamentals, AFRESH! Just as they wanted to know the subtle difference between ‘need’ and ‘greed’, now it is the still more vital thing, the curse, and the blessing! I used to ask the ‘elders’ who are invited to “grand” occasions, for seeking their ‘Blessings”, as to how and what actually they do, when they stretch out their palms down turned and ‘shown’ facing, or at best, placed on the head of the youngster making the physical obeisance (namaskar) to receive the blessing! A diplomatic smile is all they manage to ‘squeeze’ out of their faces!

To me, personally, the very question, the seeking for the answer, the inquisitiveness, the sincerity, seems to invoke the blessings of the blessed ones! May it happen to them!

Yours Clandestinely,

Psn(26^th April, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110419101647AA6xPZf

How do we know that we are cursed or blessed?

How do we know that we are cursed or blessed while living, ones eternal destiny is known only after his death. Your view please?

My Answer:

As long as our acceptance does not deepen enough, even blessings looks like a curse!
We need to know the basic difference between a curse and a blessing, besides the commonly accepted difference that they are opposites of each other!
It is actually, a benediction versus curse.
Blessing never comes in the way of a curse, ever!
Blessings are always in disguise. We 'feel' blessed. We do not 'see' that we are blessed. The confusion is just because blessings are used to mean material possessions, comforts, benefits, etc.
Only a few people use the words 'benediction' and 'blessing' with amazing clarity. I came across a wedding invitation, which requested the invitee to make their 'presence' available at the sacred occasion of the wedding of their daughter, bless the young couple, and THEREBY, Benedict the parent host who extends the invitation!

Transformation of Need into Greed

It is not at all a new thing for any of us, this transition/transformation, from need to greed.

There was even a joke! A villager on his visit to a metro town for the first time, was warned by a experienced ‘senior’ to bargain for half the quoted price, when buying anything….. “Be careful, it is written all over your face that you are from a village…”

Now this villager took this advice too carefully, and went to buy an umbrella. He asked for 50 when the price quoted was 100. Being the very first customer of the day, the poor shopkeeper felt sentimentally not good to return the customer empty handed. So he conceded. But at once the villager now asked for 25 since 50 was thee new ‘quoted price’! The haggling went on, and out of sheer frustration and suppressed anger the shopkeeper shouted “Please take it for free and get lost”…. But our villager friend would not give up, and asked for two umbrellas as free! (The quoted offer is one for free!). The greed crept into the need, somewhere, and now we have a hearty laugh.

In fact, there are political parties that have a slogan of ‘From each according to ability, to each according to need’. And, in practice, it changes to “from each beyond his capacity to each according to greed”! The taxes throttle the common man, and greed of corrupt people in power grows and grows.

It is not that only very few are greedy. It is obvious because of the magnitude. For most of us, this greed camouflages and presents itself in totally different colour. It is very relevant to know how to fix the need. Because, need keeps changing according to situation. The size of the operation or surgery decides the need of additional blood. Doctors prescribe needless quantity of tablets, medicines and drugs which end up a pile of junk, beyond the expiry date. At least these wastages would have saved many poor lives! We do need to do something very strongly about this wastage that follows the immediate footsteps of the greed. It is the greed for a ‘name’ that makes a person throw a lavish party, where another set of greedy people respond by wasting precious enriched food to the extent of 80 % for sheer ‘fashion’ sake. Corruption has reached dizzy heights due to this greed.

The fight against corruption has sprung out of need to curb the greed! It would be nice if the people who are ‘convicted’ for corruption, should not be allowed to even respect the NATIONAL FLAG! They should never be invited to flag-hoisting functions, etc. They should be kept away from national flag. May be, this step would deter their greed from growing beyond the tolerance capacity of common man’s pocket!

This urge or upsurge to fight against corruption which is the result of greed , would have naturally led to a logical question, as to why/when the need becomes a greed! No point in pointing fingers against others, when the seed of greed is about to germinate inside the ‘need’! So, the question is genuine, and should be respected with a genuine attempt to answer it and logically too. There are several aspects to the reply. I just make a humble beginning by way of inspirational effort.

Psn(25^th April, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110419013430AApza3f

Why/ when does need transform to greed?

SL
how does we know that we are in need or greed?

My reply:

When the needs turns too personal, way beyond the need of the 'situation'.
Our body is "ours", and "we " are not the body itself. So, when body needs something it is 'situational' need. When we look out for tasty junk food, it is not the body's need but our greed's need!
Please look at other living beings. There is no scope to point fingers at their greed! When the deer loiters within the reach of a huge lion, we can be certain of two things... the deer has good perception that it can sense the difference between a hungry lion, and a well fed lion. Second, the lion is incapable of greed (the greed to eat inclusive).
Animals cannot sacrifice too. We can do both.. we can be greedy, we can choose to forgo as an act of sacrifice.

Merciful Killing

I felt amused to find a question that seemed to suggest that few of us are just one step 'beyond' from, the (now-a-days) “almost acceptable” mercy-killing called euthanasia.

Whether we are tired of living by ourselves, or we are sympathetic looking at the others, applying brakes on an ‘as is where is’ condition is the first ‘idea’ that strikes to an innocent mind. Please see, even a kid, all of a sudden, at half-way on a walk-journey towards a market, theatre or so, suddenly exclaims ‘I want to go home.. NOW”. The kid simply refuses to go even one step further. Parents/elders learn thus, what patience really is! (The same kids, having tasted the comforts of gadgets, automation, ‘ready-to-eat’ /use stuffs, now apply the same brakes when at a job (increasing attrition rate!), or when into a marital obligation(increasing ‘divorce’ rates).

The question was direct, to the point, and ‘all inclusive’ (meaning, once and for all, solve all problems!).

Psn(24^th April, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110423175728AAYnj2Z

If death is liberation, then does it make moral sense to kill as many beings as possible in your lifetime?

Why is death wrong? Why do we assume life is better, have you ever thought about it? Sometimes life is hell on earth. Breaking one free from life could be the greatest gift you could give to another living soul, particularly if you believe in God, because after they die they would be reunited with God.

My answer:

After a continuous and long bus journey, , almost everybody gets down, stretches out the limb in all possible directions, lets out some freak sounds of great relief and "freedom" / "liberation" (except the driver, who is already damn fresh!).
Now, a kid observes that "stopping of bus means a lot of liberation" to all the poor passengers, and so pushes out the driver on the way, and dashes the bus off the mountain into a gorge, or against another bus or a tree, or a train (All that is needed is to abruptly STOP the bus!). The passengers who manage a bit of survival have to undergo a 'painful journey' to the nearest hospital, That is how people who die suddenly reach the nearest womb, and come out with a few deformities even!
..
(Any time, it feels wonderful to gently bring the vehicle to a slow halt, apply brakes, engage handbrakes, majestically open the door, dramatically walk out of the Car, wave hand cheerfully at others... all this "AT WILL", consciously, in full awareness, THAT is liberation. Even the seemingly 'normal' death that we think so, is not really 'at will'. The body is unfit to sustain life ... maybe age, dis-ease, deformity,, or what ever. Just leave the body, when healthy, is what is 'liberation from body'. Once this is possible, the next liberation can even be thought of, now. "The liberation of the "being",,,,," )}

Conscious Compassionate Creativity!

For too long a time, I was just ‘average’ in about most of the things that ordinary people do in life (mercifully, not about life). I had no reason to suspect the presence of any sort of creativity within me. As a school-going kid, my only experience with ‘creativity’ trying to surge inside me was when I visited sea shore, where we are allowed to ‘freely’ access ‘any’ amount of wet sand to play with, but only till sunset. I did not have to try for too long. All I could manage was a huge ‘mountain’ (anything which was about my own kid-size was of course, ‘huge’!). Or I managed a zig-zag-tunnel in sand restricted in its length and depth to the extent of my tiny arm. At best it was a combination of both, a tunnel half way up that mound, where an other kid manages to have a through-and-through visibility.

That was my creativity at its best during childhood! At home, there was nothing ‘creative’ to try with. And when visiting ‘other’s’ home, everything was non-touchable! So, there was a conflict of interests between ‘well-disciplined’ and ‘creative’ abilities.

Any way, there was yet one field which no one could ever restrict in any way. The thought process! The only good thing that occurred to me at that tiny pint-sized age was to try to equip myself with best tools to proceed with that thought-process-creativity. I wonder if it was that which eventually pushed me into a spiritual quest!

Anyway, with all giants of ‘creativity-teaching-skills’ all around (business schools, etc), I too tried to look at creativity, and two other basics (3-in-one, in fact!), in my own humble way, in all modesty, since I knew I had never ever demonstrated a ‘sizable’ creativity at any time, when somebody asked it on the ‘Yahoo!Answers’ forum.

(Now, I wonder if it quenches the thirst of average people like me, or something akin to ‘creativity for dummies’… .. etc!).

PSN(23^rd April, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110416220727AAQXQyA

True or false --consciousness, compassion & creativity are the basis of life--osho?

How we can develop all three at a time

My answer:

When we start experiencing more and more people and things around us as a part of ourselves, all these three 'have to' develop!
(A mother who is in dire need, and driven to a very extreme situation, brings forth all these three in an amazingly unbelievable manner! The steady growth of a deep sense of social responsibility, expansion of inclusiveness, in a person, etc... all these are portrayed too well in an old Hindi Movie, "Mother India" . I even wonder, if the title is not a mere matter of chance! The heroine simply grows, evolves, right through the movie. She would almost 'sell' herself to save her kids, and later, she did not hesitate to shoot down one of her kids, due to a deep sense of social responsibility! She 'created' a awareness in a whole village of innocent people!)

Being self

“Paradoxical” is the word that describes the feeling that I had to go through when I could bring myself to write something about ‘being self’.

The experience is rich, but when it comes to conveying the experience, there is a lot of hesitation. The hesitation is about the apprehension that the reader might be easily led to misconstrue what is being sought to be said.

The simple experience is that at least till the time I could complete about 5 to 7 years of schooling, I never knew any other way to be than myself! And honestly, it never occurred to me that others would feel any differently than this. The earliest memory of being required to be something else than being myself, was when a new teacher suddenly looked up at me and announced in the class “You will be the monitor”. There was a gush of strange experiences surging within me. It was almost like suddenly finding our image when looked at into a mirror resembles a strange monster! I knew almost all the trouble makers in the class, who would easily find a place in the list to be created by a class-monitor. The reason was simple. All of them were my very close friends! This was the only unenviable part of the task to be performed by a monitor. Other than that, it was mostly running errands for the teacher. Fortunately for me, this new assignment did not last more than a couple of days, and nobody really felt me as a ‘monitor’, and the whole thing was forgotten too soon. Even I would have forgotten it, but for that strange and new experience of being something other than myself! The experience kept haunting me, and used to ‘trap’ me, at the most inconvenient times, into a deep thought process!

Later, I just happened to fit into any role given to me, so that ‘being’ something else really never troubled me.

Much later, as spiritual quest began deepening, more surprises awaited me. The ‘role’ at times seemed more original than the ‘self’ that I was so well accustomed with! And it is these roles that usually irked people around me quite often. It is not that I could not contain myself, to remain peaceful with others. But I could not hold back, what I could do when I saw the potential within the others around. This struggle, this effort, this persistence helped me to understand, what not-being-self can do to others, or anyone.

It is in this backdrop that I did attempt to answer a question that had some fragrance of a genuine ‘seeking’. The details that followed the question impressed me a lot. Especially, the mention of a ‘mask’ that covers the ‘self’!

PSN(18^th April, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiIML1KwXzg1bsu_T4GVKuaRHQx.;_ylv=3?qid=20110331032637AAw1cP4

Can I be myself again? (A psychological question too)?

For those who have read my previous 2 questions , you would be more aware of my problem.Wearing a mask character made me lose my own personality (as I think).Pretending to be someone else for the comfortability of others have destroyed myself,what I was.Now I am filled with a horrible emotionlessness state.My high passions are gone, my thirst to study is also gone.Can I ever regain what I was , can I ever get that fiery spirit of passion and desires of my education and job.I want them as at present my mind is very blank.I have no desire to improve in anything.My academic brilliance is falling.I studied very well in previous , lowerclasses.But when the need for study is at the highest point in my academic life(Next Year Board Exam) I am not feeling any urge to study.I am a mere teenager with the whole of future infront of me.I know perfectly well that if I don't put on my best efforts in my education my previously cherished dreams , hopes all will be no more.But still even being aware of these facts I don't feel a thing.I have at least 10 years of education waiting infront of me.I don't know if I am feeling like this from this early age,what would my attitude be at the most hard work demanding(academicaly) times of my life.I am about to face my ClassX board exam around this time next year.If I am not preparing I will lose,by cheating not only myself but also my loving parents wh have set the expectations high in me.If I do so,then I don't see any point in living anymore.I just want my previous self back again.I want my passion or the ardent desire to concentrate on my goal.I had dreamt a lot about my brilliant perfomance in the coming class and in the XII too.But at present ,do you think I can make it?Now only I realise that having no stress and tension can ruin a man's life.I just want my spirit of passion back.Once my friend told me not to have much expectations.So I stopped expecting and you know without hoping or expecting,a man can never do his best.This too happened to meI know it is a lot boring to read till this end and I am sorry about it.But please help me as this is a most disturbing time for me.I would be very grateful if you tell me some effective study tips too.

My answer:

Very relevant, to mention that this is a psychological question too.
Those who are having that subtle ability to 'choose', for them, it is a philosophical question.
Those who are driven by the crazy state of mind, for them it is a psychological question, since their mind is just available with an open window through which somebody else can open, with lots of restrictions.
.
Now, please see, the very fact that the mind is asking about it, is enough proof that there is the ability to decide, the ability of choice, to choose. Which simply means, we have the 'discerning' power. This is available only to those who are in this 'human frame' ! If an open mind can understand the value, the significance, worth and time-limitation of this 'discerning ability' (the precious human lifetime!), only then something worthwhile "becomes" (happens-to-be) the choice of such a person. For all others, it is just 'yet-another-life'!
..
It is to be considered very fortunate that there is a thought process which has discovered that 'wearing a mask character made me lose my own personality....'
..
To make a humble beginning, please try out a very simple, but quite ancient and time tested device. Breath-watching. Elaborating the benefits, would raise the expectation so high, that now, the expectations itself would become a stumbling block for the benefits to accrue. (One thing can be said, to inspire, motivate, or even to reassure , that, when this breath awareness deepens, the thought process would become cohesive, smooth, and positive. Once the positive takes over, things would fit in at its proper place, and then you would be more towards your own very self!).
Best wishes.

Implication

These legal terms are at times much more honest, outspoken than most people around! Perhaps, that is why, the ‘conditions (that) apply’ are in very fine print!

What about the converse implications? In our day-to-day life, we often tend to overlook the impact, the consequences of these types of implications. Whenever we are too emphatic about our preferences, choices, etc, we are incurring the wrath of ‘excluding’ someone/something else that deserves perhaps, even a better attention! Even the ‘match-fixing’ (whether it is cricket, or a marriage alliance), works entirely on implied parts of ‘innocent looking’ pleasantries!

This ‘implying’ aspect plays a very significant role in interpersonal skills, and its evolvement. For instance, after years of keen observation, I had been suggesting to the superiors under whom I worked, to try to appreciate the person who is reasonably punctual, for a change, instead of lamenting at those who are punctually late for work! But the effect is very slow, and almost imperceptible, though very much a certainty, and may be therefore, that I really never got to see my suggestions imple-mented! Possibly, the bosses themselves were inadvertent victims of the phenomenon of ‘implication’!

All this calls for a discrete sense of discerning ability, and coupled with sharp alertness, and keen awareness of the witnessing aspect within the self, so as not to become entangled during the process of implication!

I found a question, seeking clarification about something that generally ‘implies’ a very laudable aspect! “I am proud to be an Indian” is the prescription. And here the question seeks clarification about the ‘latent’ violence in it! Both are valid, but only to a person who is able to comprehend the ‘implications’ which are not really ‘declared’ assets (personal assertions).

(I was even reminded of a joke by a famous journalist, a bit controversial one too, who brought out the funny aspect of the implication, when we try to overdo the repetition of calling somebody “Father of the nation”…. Then, what are other ordinary people?)

psn(16^th April, 2011)

The question:

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110413195850AA2WtbO

Why jiddu krishnamurti said -When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European,?
When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent

My reply:

It is just because of the 'implication' that we are so attached to, when we call ourselves as so-and-so.
It usually implies that we are a bit rigid about it. And rigidity offers resistance, which is violent. Definitely, J K did not imply any "active" violence. Please see the context. There is a potential violence that could turn active under severe provocation. It is the subtle vulnerability that is hinted at.
(We all enjoyed the movie "Independence Day"... maybe, that is because, we call ourselves 'earthlings'! And it was violence all over. Spirituality seeks to differentiate such 'qualified' violence/conditioned violence!)

Acceptability of Medicines

Sometimes, a poor background presents a few presents, which act as a kind of blessing in disguise. One such benefit is the focus on food during meals! There was nothing else to distract while eating, when I was a kid! As simple as that! And added to that was the lack of electricity to light up that humble bulb (the only source of light then), for the two months of summer holidays, when we paid our annual visit to native place. So the night meals (dinner) was soon after the music was played at a nearby temple, to announce the closure of the sanctum sanctorum, for that day (no wall clock, to decide the dinner time!). My grandmother would ‘allow’ food to be served to the children first at the dim lights of a small lamp, and then others would eat soon after. When this kind of focus happens due to compulsions of situation, the ‘nature of focus’ that we are required to perform with, turns into a pattern, which our very system, our very anatomy gets tuned to, as a sort of second nature, or habit. Something like an embedded program, a default functionality of a gadget. That is exactly the point I wished to state as my experience. Well, this, incidentally does impact a few other traits, in a very subtle manner.

We often hear that the ‘body rejects the medicine’ in the case of a ‘sinking’ patient. I used to wonder, how the body would ‘reject’ something. I could understand that the body is unable to accept something (may be in the “present-form” like some of those draft-enactments that the opposition members of parliament, reject, for sheer sake of diplomacy!). Yes, some un-chewed items of food stuff manages to escape all the check-posts of our digestive system, during its journey through it, and we may find it ‘in-tact’ the next day. That is the idea of ‘present-form’ (presented form too!).

Doctors keep changing the brand names of drugs during frequent visit, just to make sure that some ‘presented-form’ of that drug gets accepted by the patient’s body. This pattern is common with people of ‘rigid’ attitude. (Maybe, to some extent, the doctor ‘obliges’ the recent-most visitor-medical-representative of that brand, also).

What is surprising, is that children seem to accept a few types of tastes like bitter, sour (the two variations of sour), when the ‘presenting’ hands change! So, I felt there is something about that negative-positive attitude too!

I felt tempted to give out some additional inputs, just to inspire a focus on the aspect of ‘focus’ on food, when a question came up about negative attitude, and its lesser positive action of medicines on such people.

Psn(7^th April, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110404202555AAJ49Sm

Do you think medicines never act positively on the people who have negative attitude for life?

Additional details:

This question is asked for those who have lost interest in life and medication is not working on them at all......EVery .doctor says only positive attitude for life can create miracle with medicine.....now whom to blame doctor ,medicine or patient .

My answer:

Yes. To a significant extent.
The exception is when medicines are administered under anesthetic. Even then, the attitude causes some negativity at the cellular level, and it makes the medicine less acceptable, than the ideal condition where a normal dose brings a desirable level of result.
..
Even when eating food, it does matter, if we are paying attention to the food that we eat. When the brain or mind is inattentive, the stomach barely 'manages' to digest to some extent, and throws out many nutrients as waste due to mistaken identity. The taste buds send signal to the brain which in turn tells the stomach to excrete the correct fluids to digest that particular food. We notice this in a very 'pronounced' manner when we watch children eating 'tasty' or 'delicious' food very eagerly. Another example is, the food that helps to 'pick' up the tools/raw-materials, to form eyes, etc for a child in the womb, the brain tells the tongue to 'seek' sour type of food. Please see, when a large slice of a sour mango is bitten suddenly, the eyes squeeze and close, naturally! A pregnant lady requests for that sour dishes during the early months of pregnancy. Traditionally, there is a practice to give a large variety of sour dishes to that lady. The stomach picks up varieties of 'ingredients'/raw materials, to help the formation of healthy pair of eyes, and /or other organs, and does the necessary task. The cells of blood, etc are having very good cellular-level-intelligence to do its job, without our interference, or our own deep knowledge about anatomy. But we have to do some minimum contribution of ''participation' in the food/medicine/whatever. Now, in ancient India, they made this into a tradition/ritual, to treat food as sacred, to pray before meals, etc. , so that people would automatically pay the required attention to taste buds, obey basic laws of eating only when hungry, chewing properly, never wasting precious food etc. So we had fewer dis-ease cases then. Now it is Fast-food, junk-food, chemical-medicines, commercial-doctors, needless-checklists(scan, lab-tests, specialists who charge 'extra'.... and what not!). All this contributes to the 'aam aadmi' becoming unwilling to retain a positive attitude towards medicines/medical expenses/etc.
..
It is a matter of choice, now , whom to blame (except ourselves, of course). Fortunately, there is no law as yet, to just 'blame'. The problem will come only when we try to en-cash that blame (seeking compensation for inadequate medical care!).
..
Awareness is the only solution. Awareness may deepen perception. Deeper perception would improve clarity. Better clarity would pave way to positive action, instead of futile indulgence in 'blame-game'.
(Hope this lengthy answer would find a way to seek some tolerance with the readers!)

Smile Courtesy

We have enough ‘material’ about benefits of smiling, service with a smile, smile as a cost effective customer service etc.
But seldom have we found ‘genuineness’ in a smile.
That is why the question tempted me.
..
In fact, when I took my maiden flight about an year ago, I felt aghast at the plastic smile by the lady who was going through the motions of explaining the actions needed to be done in an emergency situation, with that air-filled safety balloon gadget placed below the seats. The talk was done by a pre-recorded noise, and all she had to do was synchronize the explanatory animation gestures! The struggle to retain the cheeks elongated sideways to simulate a purported smile was visibly quite painful for that entire duration of few minutes of playback of pre-recorded ‘talk’. I was under the illusion that, being well paid, they might be dedicated at least ‘during’ the smile, though not during the entire flight.
..
And I re-experienced afresh, a tremendous contrast, when I got into a local ordinary bus, soon after coming out of the airplane/airport. It so happened that an old lady was day-dreaming and delayed to get down at her stop, and the bus conductor, poorly paid, shabbily dressed, was visibly annoyed, and shouted at her, to become more alert and try not to miss her alighting stop. Fortunately, the bus was less crowded, and getting emptied when I was to get down at the last stop, and I managed a humble thanks to that conductor for his “genuine” concern for the passenger, and her safety and convenience, and fully endorsed his rough/crude tone, since that was the only way we could get the proper attention of a lady of that age, background, and poor literacy, especially, when the conductor was choice-less about the very brief time available, lack of proper ambience to think of niceties, decorum etc.
..
I was quite unexpectedly rewarded, when he acknowledged my appreciation with a gentle genuine smile, and in utter humility, and gratitude that “there are people who do notice their sense of social responsibility, passenger-concerns, amidst several job-constraints”. Now I took time to tell him the contrast I noticed when I was up in mid sky about half an hour ago, when the smile was plastic (despite the ‘elite-class’ high-literate passengers, and a high paid job, etc!).
..
I feel fortunate that my answer found a favourable appeal.
Psn

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110331231131AAixtm3
The question:
A genuine smile is rare....right ?
Additional Details: ...rare to find.

Superstition

Where ever there are people, there would be at least a few superstitions going around. The only problem is when there is a mismatch about belief in a particular superstition. There are problems about nomenclature too. Those who are staunch non-believers claim that they do not believe in any superstition. But their definition of superstition is yet to become ‘all inclusive’, is all I can say! Are they never under some false notion, fallacy? Just that their superstition is a bit private.
..
The problem here is not about how to deal with ‘superstitious’ people. It is about how it is going to affect open-mindedness!

I had the opportunity to grow amidst varieties of such superstitious people, I would say. The experience had enriched me and my ability to approach with superstitions. I have to acknowledge in all humility, that this exposure to subtle hurdles contributed a lot towards my growth into deeper perceptions, open mindedness, which are essential tools for spiritual journeys. I had the opportunity to observe an evolved person who even joked about a whole ‘Zoo’ inside a religion where Gods worshiped are many and in almost all animal forms, and yet the very same person led us into the deeper concepts of the very same religion, in full awareness, and deeper experience! So no way to escape answering a question such as this, where the aspirant is keen to avoid garbage of any kind, especially superstitious garbage when striving towards being open minded..

(Superstitiously?) yours,
(Yeah, ........ till there is a living experience, any ritualistic 'salutation' is a mere fallacy, false notion… ain’t it.. eh?)
psn

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110325202527AA9cz63

Does being open minded mean to let just any old superstitious garbage in there?

Human Bondage

Love seems to be a form of bondage, which would snatch away the independence out of us. The way religion is preached, it seems quite obvious that the known attributes of God was likely to create a heavy bondage, which would take away that precious independence forever! Maybe, a few of the atheists could have sprung up due to this! Whether this happens really in this way or not, the logic seems sound, if it is going to happen thus. The problem is about the ‘experience’, and the mind always suggests, ‘why take a chance?’

I used to wonder, if a person happens to be the lone dweller of an isolated island right from the birth, how would that person be ‘categorized’ by religion, whether an atheist or a theist? That fellow may not even know that he is a ‘human’ being, till he comes across another sample! For no fault of his, he has to be ‘a non- believer’, since he has never uttered the name of God, he has never worshipped, etc etc!!

Relationship would put us under a great strain of bondage, due to that unconditional love. So unless a person is really ready to take such a chance, it does seem wise to ‘limit’ the love. But, while dealing with God, we may not be having “a level playing ground/field”.
That is exactly the question that this asker had! It is no wonder that this asker could not even decide the worth of the question, and just left it to vote. I did ‘love’ the frankness about asking even, of such a question.

Psn(8th March, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110301014758AAzwp5Y
Which is highest, absolute independence or love of god? Why?
If you don't love God, he will not care for you. He can place you in maya or illusion? If you surrender he will protect you. If you don't surrender and don't love him, he will place you in maya. If you love him he will take care of you. If this is the case then, I demand God, to destroy me forever i.e. no individuality at all. If I exist, then I should be absolutely independent, I should not depend on any body for my happiness. If this is not possible i.e. absolute independence or loosing individuality irreversible then I hate my existence and God's existence. There fore I strongly feel that absolute independence is what I want in the ultimate analysis. I want to know whether absolute independence is possible or not? Whether irreversible loss of individuality is possible or not?


My answer:
For the demands in this question to be met, we will have to change the attributes of God. Effectively, we have to reduce the powers of God (since we are not capable, we have to ask God to reduce His own powers!). Only then, we can be 'free from Him'! Right now He is within us also. Right now, He is capable of loving us even though we may not love Him. Please look at the "known" qualities of God. Most of the preachers would find it difficult to match these qualities and their teachings, when they tell us that God 'expects' from us (something/anything!). Expectation is possible only for a helpless powerless person. God does not have any expectations! At least He is free from expectations, desires, problems, and the urge to control us or the urge to create Maya to trouble us! It is convenient to blame some harmless person for all our troubles and God's name is the most convenient one! We are already independent, and also absolutely! We have the freedom to remain in the illusion created by ourselves, that we are enslaved here, and this freedom is unlimited. Only we alone can choose to get out of this illusion, and God has allowed us so much freedom out of utter magnanimity! Very unfortunately, this illusion is so strong, that we cannot believe that we are already independent! It is just a question of "realization" !!! That is why that "enlightenment" is also known by the phrase of "self-realization". And we are allowed ample time. The whole of eternity is waiting patiently, there is no hurry at all. There is also the choice... have the fun all the same, but with full awareness of our independence, freedom, or suffer the illusion all the way!
Best wishes.

Opening up

There is something that still continues to puzzle me. The puzzle is about my own frequency of bumping into a certain pattern, which just seems to suit me too well at that point of time!

Now it is about ‘opening up’ of minds. I could see quite a few questions asking about that open mind, etc. May be, when I start thinking about an aspect quite intensely, I start noticing it all around the place. Anyway, this time, the question was wonderfully worded. Why patronize an ‘open mind’ just for its own sake?

Now, I could not keep away from an opportunity to appeal to the asker’s mind, ( almost like trying to strike when the iron is hot). And the comment was a very pleasing compliment indeed. Beyond that, I got that wonderful reassurance that the answer reached the asker with least possible distortions!

Psn(24th February, 2011)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110221181650AAgHWNi
Why do we need to listen to those who communicate with an open mind?

My answer:
To be able to breathe easy!
When we have difficulty to breathe, we are put on oxygen , or ventilator etc in an ICU.But that does not compare with that wonderful gush of fresh air that rushes in freely through a very wide open window high up in that huge tall mansion overlooking a vast landscape on a tall mountain!
..
It feels very fortunate to listen to those who communicate with an open mind. Quite miraculously, even we become better receptive, by just listening! (Their openness seems to permeate into us!)
...
It is indeed a wonderful question! (to me, it seems to open the source code of the technology hidden behind that age old prescription of "sat-sangh"... the company of wise people!)

Odd relaxant!

But for this wonderful question, I would have failed to highlight a very simple common thing that most of us would have easily experienced several times, but, perhaps, did not bother to take cognizance of as a relaxant!

Most of us become relaxed during a haircut. Some even tend to fall asleep. I thought this factor may come very handy to try it out as a technique even very consciously. (In fact, I have been providing fun/entertainment to kids asking them to close their eyes, seated on a tall chair, a small robe around them, and just try to feel that hair cut. All I do is take a paper punch (the one that has spring mechanism, and when a thin sheet of paper is to be punched for filing, we insert the edge on this punch, press the handle). Continuous pressing of the handle produces a sound that ‘feels’ almost like a mechanical machine that cuts the hair. Kids enjoy it, and almost become relaxed!).

The best part is that this asker incidentally happened to ‘gift me’ with a wonderful connectivity of two odd things! Relaxation during a hair cut, as also during receiving a teaching!

My answer did find its mark. And pat came the generous acknowledgement with innocent evidence that the asker did “tend” to excel at school! (Once again, I feel fortunate to be able to ‘connect’ to the mind of the asker!)

(I do not at all intend to indulge into suggesting the modalities of ‘how to use’ the idea contained herein, that is, if at all the idea finds any appeal. Each has to work out one’s own way into it. Spiritual practices have far enhanced tools for this, anyways!)

Psn(22nd February, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110221173341AAdY0li
Why does certain odd things relax me?
Like getting a haircut or someone teaching me something. IE say being taught in school or watching someone give a tutorial.

My answer:
Mind game!
Mind induces a bit of tense-ness when we hold on to something, like even an idea!
During the haircut, there is a sort of surrender, unconditional. This mind set, though quite inadvertent, and purely temporary, has a certain impact, a chemical impact on the nerves. Body relaxes, as it hands over the head to the person who does the cutting.

Teaching us also CAN give that opportunity. But very few are fortunate to be able to 'hand over' themselves to somebody who is teaching. So this is a rare and fortunate instance.
..
The mind becomes silent... (Some people tend to fall asleep during the haircut!).

Predictability

Children, up to a certain age are fairly predictable…. In the sense, that their body language, mannerisms, likes and dislikes, responses to toys, things around, mischief-prone temptation-causing items become more or less familiar to elders. The concerned parents know how safe it is to give or snatch away a material like toy, etc.

As we grow, this predictability aspect becomes fuzzy. A youth even finds it difficult to assess one’s own potential, likelihood of affinity for a specialized branch of study at post-matriculation level. The mother finds it difficult to predict her teenage daughter’s vulnerability to ‘outside’ temptations! The mood of the boss is usually unpredictable. Stock market is unpredictable. (At global economy level, a powerful country could not predict the adverse impact of ‘unaccounted’ dollars, when it tried to dump dollar currency into the ‘world-market’, to topple the economy of the native country to which dollars belonged! “Jai ho…..”!!)

Thus confronted with need to predict various things in life, a person succumbs to hero-worship people with better ability to predict. If this ability seems to defy logic, then this prediction-abled person becomes God-like! Thus, predictability seems to enlarge its scope, to include logical skills, diagnostic skills, assessability, imaginative skills, calculative skills, astrological skills, and what not!

My efforts to deter the asker from the temptation to attach too much importance to this predictability did not seem to yield the desired results and quite surprisingly, the answer found a favor despite its lack of appeal in a right sense, to the asker. I was reminded of the comment by a very learned professor, who crowned me with a wonderful phrase, “reaching the mind of the asker”. Well, this time, I did seem to have reached the asker (way beyond the construction of the question…. or , was it constriction?), though perhaps, my answer did not!

Predictability, to me, seems to be an incidental byproduct of deepening of perception, whichever way we try to look at it. And that is why, I added in my answer, that beyond a point, it does not matter to us, whether we employ this ability or not! It is quite another matter that we see a lot of evolved beings consciously spell out their predictions to suit the situation, demonstrating their unmatched ability to seamlessly interweave with the ‘cosmic’ law or its balance! Something that does give an immense sense of satisfaction and a feeling of ample reward in itself to humble beginners like me!

Psn(14th February, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110213023251AAGTAVi
When the person's life could be imagined by them?
Does it become the god for its predictable?

My answer:
It becomes 'wise' when it becomes more prediction--abled.
But it becomes Godly or more God-like, when it does not matter what happens to life!

Feel

This ‘feel’ is really not that innocent as it looks to be, if my ‘feeling’ is correct!

Examples:
I feel the heat on my forearm, because, I placed it on the window sill and the scorching sun’s light falls on it for too long!
I feel tired / tense /happy / excited / persuaded / enthusiastic /etc
Your voice feels harsh.
Gut feeling
Feels eerie in this place during the dark hours!
I can almost feel the presence that great being when I visit his birth place(he is dead and gone long ago!).
The judge feels that this time that professional liar is telling the truth, but also feels helpless since law does not provide scope to deliver the judgement that the judge’s conscience feels to be just! (After all, courts are there only to administer law according to law!).
..

Now that we are able to get a feel of what I am trying to say about ‘feel’ , I feel it is quite appropriate to pause narrating instances/examples here, and get on with trying to say the next thing to be said.

Well, this is what persuaded me to talk about ‘feelings’.

I had just returned from an unexpected grand treat of immense and intense spiritual experience, having visited a grand ancestral and traditional house for funeral and condolence. Many subtle miracles happened there, and as if nature is generous and liberal, a sample was there for everybody to see it clearly! Two elderly people, just friends, died within the same half an hour, and their funeral had to take place side by side, at the same time, because of inability of their close relatives to reach earlier than that! Amongst the several huge abnormal number of visitors who paid their last respects, several elderly people(both, by age and life experience!), expressed utter surprise at his ‘set’ of coincidences related to these two deaths. Both these were life time friends, having lived to see, and having tasted almost all the varieties of spices of ‘life’! Quite a few of close relatives of both these people, felt a bit guilty having ‘left out to inform’ the other about age related ailments, and failing health, etc. When these close relatives came on contact through ‘mobile’ a whole ‘set’ of coincidences was waiting to shock them! Personally, I would rate this set as the most insignificant of all the other subtler miracles that I ‘felt’!

Being thoroughly drenched in the ‘feels’ of such spiritual experience during the past couple of days, I thoroughly enjoyed the comments of the asker when he too seemed to join the chorus of a feel-beyond-sensory level of perception! So, this time I am thoroughly excused for quoting the ‘appreciation’ part of my own answer, since the ‘feel’ of it minuscule the appreciation itself!
(Quote: ) There is a "FEEL" in your answer which covers you and the readers.Thanks. (Unquote)
(Yeah! The unfolding of deeper perceptions that are beyond sensory level is usually in the form of a ‘feel’ experience, that initiates us into its world!

(Earlier, after having answered, I had ‘felt’ that I did not stand a chance at all, having taken up to plead(advocate) for the lesser popular side of the case! But the deeper feel took over the surface feel this time!)

With rejoice full feelings,
Psn(1st February, 2011)


http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110127205820AAcarrc
Do you get up the moment you come to know that your Boss is on telephone line?
I have seen many stand up even at home while talking to their Boss.An interesting incident is a police Inspector even saluting when a call came from a highest authority.

My answer:
Right from black and white movie days, there have been many jokes about animated talk while speaking on phone.
But, these gestures help focusing the mind. With appropriate gestures, the tone of the voice suits the emotion. (We shake our palms saying 'no' or while refusing.. try altering it like a cheer-wave, bye-bye-style, etc, and utter the same 'no' .. The stress gets diluted. We may argue that it is a matter of practice, etc. Yes with practice, we can swap gestures, and emotions. But if it suits and helps, why not use gestures? )

Getting up , saluting brings emotions from the body, which translates as vibrations, riding on the voice/noise/sound. It is a question of experience or belief. Experience for those who can perceive deep. Belief for those who trust. Also, nothing prevents us from enjoying a joke on those who keep gesturing 'blind' on phone.. they would certainly not mind it, if we do not stretch it too far.

(Please see, when we the better intelligent, better capable talk on phone quite successfully without those hand gestures, animations etc, .. if somebody on the other side happens to break a terribly saddening news, can we hold back the tears? These tears are not at all visible to the other person. Now think of smiling and yet talking with a sobbing-tone/voice!).

People pray before idols, pray before graves, make gestures, offer flowers, etc, but nobody seems to listen, see, or react on the other side!
..
(It so happened that a dubbing artist who had done 2700 + films, mostly malayalam, came as a guest-judge on a reality show this week. She repeated that emotion charged dialogue of Shobhana in the film 'Manichitrathaazhu, "Vida maatein".. She did wonderfully, and the TV screen was vertically split into two to show the video track in Sync... But even she could not hold back the expression on the face, bulging eyes, etc!).

And I was wondering how these people would speak at all on phone ,without gestures, when gesture is all that they have ....
quote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk02qPlnS…

Enthusiastic Excitement

Interchangeable words, indeed.
But, the present day popular word amongst youngster, techies, students etc is ‘exciting offers’. They use the other word more often in a negative context , with lack of enthusiasm, not feeling /do not feel enthusiastic etc… A few decades ago, the leader was supposed to ‘enthuse’ the followers/comrades with a fiery spirited speech. But the guardians of English language seem to dissuade the use of the word ‘enthuse’ in the same context as enthusiasm. And then the ‘meaning’ of the one is used to explain the meaning of the other!

So, when a question came up, to try to find out the subtle difference (if any), I took the bait. The answer or the rewards there of does not really prove anything conclusively, as long as dictionaries do not vouch for it. But it is always worth while to feel relaxed a bit, taking a look at these ‘encouraging’ words!

Psn(27th January, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110123195226AAtyFa7
True or false --Enthusiasm is not the same as just being excited.?

My reply:
Very true.
Enthusiasm is a very deep emotion, which may or may not manifest.
Love creates an enthusiasm to meet a beloved person, despite hurdles to travel etc, and can give fulfillment even by meeting of eyes, or minds, or thoughts etc.
A woman can be forced to get excited against her wish/desire (enthusiasm about physical relationship), by physical force, etc.
Why, even chemistry used the word 'excited' about sub atomic particles, when 'charged' with some energy(magnetic, electric, chemical etc)!
Excitement is usually short lived. Enthusiasm on the other hand helps us to cross that 'breaking-point' too, like during the exam days, the body, mind feels fatigues and tired, but an enthusiastic student overcomes these and continues beyond the breaking point, to perform better.

Control

I suppose, the “Ctrl” key (our Computer key board) is the most innocent of all the things, people, factors, phenomenon, etc that try to control something!

When humans try to control, the understanding is quite puzzling, complex, sophisticated, and what not! I tried to look at a few common situations, from ‘control’ point of view. (Oh! No! I have the least of any intentions to control even the inclination to reach the end of this blog! Neither mine, nor yours! I know the value of freedom, inner freedom!).

The child as he grows, knows when to shriek, shout, and embarrass the parents, thereby exercise full control to have its way, even when it does not suit the parents, even in the least to oblige the stubborn ‘stand’ of that kid!

The bride’s mother is keen to ensure that the daughter has full control or at least some control over the in laws…. (Elaboration is risky here! Nods of approval is obvious.)

In the name of ‘access’ to the big boss, in times of need, in case when the immediate boss does not oblige, a junior employee invests a few extra ‘Good morning Sir’ at every opportunity, carefully avoiding an obvious encroachment into privacy of that boss, who does not ‘usually see’ juniors of that level! (At school, a few ‘seniors’ advised us to invest a few ‘namastey’, laying more stress on the prefix, ‘Panditji’ …. the ‘ji’ had to be clear with ‘jeee’ so that this particular teacher is kept happy about us, otherwise, we are in for ‘automatic trouble’ the moment we come to higher classes where he is the ‘exclusive’ monopolistic head of the department!).

There was that ‘social control’ over banks before the nationalization took place in India. I also had to confront a phrase, ‘controlling interests’ where a person has maximum say, with least stakes in a company!

The police personnel, as soon as they are transferred to a strange location, make it a point to have ‘liaison’ with ‘big’ people, to ensure ‘some’ control … this ‘some-control’ has never been about ensuring proper law and order. It is just about ensuring a smooth sail during their term at this location (police station, or whatever). Now the ‘getting’ to know each other at such vulnerable places is directly proportional to the priorities, and vested interests of all those who need this type of typical control. Junior policemen like constables hold back a few ‘links’ to ensure that they too have a ‘say’ with their bosses. Politicians too ‘make it known’ to the new in-charge at the police station, that they are the true keepers of law and order…. And so on…

The ‘controller of examinations’, of a university or an autonomous college, feels ‘left out’ of administrative control of all kinds despite the ‘wide powers’ and the ‘awe’ that even instills fear in junior students. So, all that this poor fellow can do is to keep his own powers at full steam, inadvertently resulting into needless harassment to students!

With the experience of having faced all kinds of ‘social controls’ from all over, kids step into adolescence, then manage to scrape through that collegiate degree, and try to attend a group discussion during a ‘campus placement’ process. The observer is the fellow going to decide the ‘best’ candidate. The candidates really find the situation quite ‘messy’ with their minds trying to remind them of all types and patterns of ‘controls’ they saw, faced, and managed through, all along, while none of these seems to ‘fit in’ into this situation!

A doctor who is not quite established into a practice tries to ‘control’ the treatment period of a patient, who should normally be let off with some mild treatment/consultations.

People do not spare even that game of cards, which is meant to loosen up themselves, with some relaxation/entertainment… but end up trying to ‘control’ the cards needed by the next player, knowing fully well, this holder is never going to anyway make it!

(Here on….., the memories and imagination has full control over recalling any number of such ‘control’ situations!)

Finally there comes the elusive prescription for some ‘self-control’! Less said, the better!

All through my life, I did enjoy viewing this drama of ‘control’ management, until the spiritual master/guide happened to say, ‘from this point onwards…. One has to give up oneself totally, a self-surrender… with total trust…… to the master….” Now comes ‘my’ trouble! He even clarified, he does not look towards slavery of any kind. He does not need any other human being for any thing at all! No ‘giving up’ of wealth, etc is going to help. The purpose of this ‘surrender’ begins and ends with the ‘seeker’ oneself. I had to look at deeper and still deeper aspects of “control” which I would have had over myself! The problem starts with “I” and “myself” the two (or is it 3..?.. that ‘my’ and ‘self’…?)distinct aspects within! Anyway, this particular paragraph was a casual mention, out of pure intentions to entertain the readers at my expense, so no further elaboration is warranted, as to how I happened to ‘deal’ with this control of mine…

To me, it looks like, ‘the nature’ seeks a balance, not a control… natural calamities give us a message, that somewhere the balance got toppled. Even physiologically, the main cardinal humours {(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) Also called cardinal humour Archaic any of the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, choler or yellow bile, melancholy or black bile) formerly thought to determine emotional and physical disposition……..out of humour…. in a bad mood……..} are supposed to be in a balance (some kind of equilibrium), to enjoy good health. The astrological predictions too, seems to largely depend upon the isolating, and spotting of some imbalance, to be able to predict some event … non-routine events are usually what is sought to be predicted, I suppose. Only we, mess it up, saying “I am the boss in my house, and I have my wife’s permission to say so!”

One thing I am tempted to mention here, with an appeal to ‘try to find a way’ to consider whether this is relevant, is that …. ‘control’ of any kind, for however noble purpose, genuine purpose, reasonable or logical considerations, inevitably entangles the controller, just like the spider which also remains stuck in the very same web it weaves to trap its victims! (May be, perhaps, it is for this reason that the known attributes of all that we call as ‘divine’ does not try to control us, while the attributes of ‘devil’ and its likes invariably tries to control … If this proposition seems beyond the realms of logic, there is always that ‘quantum entanglement theory’ to toy with!).

With 'controlled' regards,
Psn(27th January, 2011)

"Spirited" question

I would say, definitely it is!
The phenomenon is not entirely beyond reach. Most of us do ‘feel’ it. There is something that sometimes, seems like an unseen giant hand collecting the thought force of many of us, snowballing it into some sort of a strange energy, and unleashing its power in quite an unexpected way! We see the manifest form of it taking shape a bit later. Some kind of an upsurge, all of a sudden, for no known reason, defying all logic! For instance, that freedom movement, we have seen, becoming a mass movement at a particular point of time. Or that protest against rampant corruption surfacing all at once, like some unseen force recognizing the collective desires of many people, stirring up a storm! A new fashion wave, a new liking for a particular kind of music, a new breed of kids performing so well in music, and such other ‘large-scale’ changes, as if it is a result of a long drawn secret, under-ground-plan, etc.

Very clearly, the asker is just using the ‘instance’ that could possibly find an appeal to the answerers, but the theme of the question is about the ‘spirit’ that comes together. What I liked most was the way in which the personality that shrouds the spirit is stripped off. The individualistic identifications that the mind usually causes its own ‘clouding’ and hides the lustrous shine of the spirit behind it, is sought to be demarcated or rather chipped off , from the theme, using a wonderful formation of words “impersonal collective energy”!

With that, I would prefer to take you straight to the question.
(I am glad, that the answer could find its ‘mark’! I have left out the mystic aspects, details, application, utility etc.. since it pertains to a different domain. Maybe, it is an unwritten ‘pact’ that ‘gets into’ (mystics), like some of the embedded software, needing no further tutoring!)

psn(24th January, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110115215914AAoY0WS
Teacher! Sensei! Master! (you know ;-) I have a question for those who can discern the spirit of spirituality.?
What is the 'spirit' of spirituality, particularly as it appears within R&S? I've noticed something happening here, especially when two or more are gathered with one accord.(could it be THAT spirit?) I'm not talking about the spirit of contention, (which is definitely here) and it doesn't necessarily involve religion, per se,(people from all walks are involved, including Atheists) and it's more than an exchange of technical information. Are those involved creating something, invoking something, or releasing something? (a spirit breaking free?) Is it an impersonal, collective energy? It feels energizing, but it doesn't feel impersonal. It feels joyful, loving and truthful. It shifts me. Can this energy be harnessed? How? Has the spirit of spirituality taken on a life of its own and once created cannot be destroyed, but only added to? Is it 'born' of the unity of those involved, or is it an outside agency that shows up when conditions are just right? Either way, what needs to happen?

My answer:
Yes. It is almost a miracle!
All it takes is a bit of focused mind to feel its energy.All along, we humans of the so called 'modern' innovative minds, have been striving to improvise on the outside, sophisticate, and re-quip ourselves.
The ancients did just that, but entirely on the inside. And please see, they paced their rate of sophistication at an incredible speed. The documented eastern culture provides some evidence. The rituals, traditions and practices, are highly indicative of their perceptions beyond sensory level. We depend on gadgets to do almost the same things, but growing at snails pace. Communications, health, unconventional energy sources (this is the most significant one!) and all other broad classifications we can name today. What we call as blue-tooth was encased right within their being. The spirit and its nature, its power was better understood by them, and they harnessed it directly (not through mutilation+manipulation of gross raw materials that we do today(and we end up littering the planet and space around with everlasting junk!)
...
Some where, we accidentally tripped on("stepped on", ) their methods/methodology!
..
I was wondering if somebody would notice it and mention it too! And here seems to be the very same question! "Impersonal collective energy!" ....... I suppose this phrase comes closest to describing it well with available words (at least for the present)! That "collective mind" is still 'stained' with some attributes of 'mind' and personality! Like that mob psychology (college students, viewing a movie at a theatre in a group shout and whistle for no reason, while individually they sit quiet and finish the movie!)
...
Feels like some unseen hands has cleverly devised/designed it just for us here! "nicknames" hiding the profile, names, and personality, provides the essential ingredients to pool in "just" the energies!
..
The spirit of spirituality, once created cannot be destroyed. Yes. It gets merged, to re-emerge when needed! That is what needs to happen. And it is amazing, "the way" it is happening! No amount of mechanisation (in the name of modernisation), could arrest it, could confine it. The spirit dominating the matrix!

Faking Happiness

Oh! What a question!

"Why do I fake my happiness? I'm not really happy?"

I only hope that the asker had clearly ‘maintained’ the awareness of the distinction between ‘feigning’ and faking! I am almost sure, most people would settle down for a lesser hurting word ‘feign’ while asking such a question, even genuinely!

While this faking, or feigning (whatever), contributes quite significantly to even a deep sense of loneliness, a sort of emptiness, hollowness, etc, the worst aspect is, it retards the spiritual growth! I would make a ‘guess’ that unless the spiritual guides/masters are exceptionally skilled in ‘communications-technology’, they would prefer to deal with this aspect of a disciple a bit subtly, lest they would end up scaring or de-motivating the ‘seeker’.

The negative effects of such tendencies are not uncommon, but the symptoms are not easily ‘relatable’ to the root cause. (It is here that I cannot help admiring the ancients who had laid strong foundations in the ‘cambric’ of our the then societies, which ensured high-quality emotional-training, through institutionalized structure which has come to be known as a ‘religion’ now. This structure itself is in its ‘faked’ form now! The concepts have outlived the structured form, and hence the access got restricted to evolved few. This ‘structure’ needs physical support of a society, not a few scattered individuals here and there. Well, be that as it may, for, that is not our present ‘issue’ here.)

Psn(19th January, 2011)


The question link:

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuaPO9Oyrhq_AQM_XB6fUNWQHQx.;_ylv=3?qid=20110115155832AAfQySf

My answer:

May be trying to mix up the 'relationship' concepts.

There are the 'basics', surmised well by a great being...
quote:
If your body goes in search of a relationship, we call this sexuality.
If your mind goes in search of a relationship we call this companionship.
If your emotion goes in search of a relationship, we call this love.
If your energies go in search of a relationship, we call this yoga.
unquote:

Now, if we are trying for one type of relationship, using the search-mode of another kind, then, a possibility of a 'mix-up' can happen. That is why, deep within ourselves, we clearly see a 'fake'! Very few muster courage to even accept within ourselves that there IS a slight faking. It is admirable to find a genuine 'seeking' to avoid this faking! One should also be prepared to face the costs of avoiding faking. Because, most people are quite comfortable only with this 'fakes' or substitutes. It has become sort of "practical" way of life. It has gone too far, to convince us that 'real' is more practical! That feeling of 'loner' is the true litmus test, when we mix up things. What really hampers spiritual growth is the difficulty in coming out of this 'craving' to mix up! Yes, like those addictions, even emotions become addictions or craving, once we let it grow for too long in a negative direction. The only way to come out of any 'habit' is to do things more consciously, in full awareness, alertness. Over a period of time, what is not needed would get dropped off by itself. Not point, trying to suppress it!

Affirmative difference

Even those who go through ritualistic chanting of certain prescribed sound forms get a doubt quite often about the utility, efficacy of this futile looking exercise.

While most of such people keep the doubt to themselves, and continue the ritual to avoid conflicting with religious compulsions etc, a few of them do get a serious doubt, and for want of ‘credible’ evidence, tend to dilute the chanting, salvage as much time and effort as possible.

It is quite rare to find a person who seeks to find out the difference between such chanting, and affirmative suggestions.. .. especially when there is a heavily mounting evidence, vouched by experiments under controlled conditions, in favor of dependable effect, and efficacy of strong affirmative suggestions to the sub conscious!

The question is not new. The asker’s mind is ready to look at it, “now”. That is where a fresh approach finds justification. Otherwise, this question is a mere by product of basic positions taken up by genuine, open-minded, receptive (etc)….. Atheism subscribers.

When the modern scientific methodology affords perceivable results, demonstrable evidences, the ancient systems leaves a person in the lurch, to believe blindly or simply get lost!

So, no point in further elaborating the aspects of the ‘fuzzy’ thing called chanting, except, to humbly reproduce the question and answer.

However, I feel that those who are more eager would find a few references quite interesting. Not that I could pick up the ‘exact’ or apt reference. Like any novice, I too typed ‘chanting’ in the search box of the blog page (thanks to Google Team for that new ‘search box’), and glanced at the previous blogs listed.
http://selfseekers.blogspot.com/2010/11/mantras.html
http://selfseekers.blogspot.com/2010/10/unlearning.html
http://selfseekers.blogspot.com/2010/09/thought-momentum.html
http://selfseekers.blogspot.com/2009/10/de-bugging-qa.html
http://selfseekers.blogspot.com/2010/05/thinking-herd.html
http://selfseekers.blogspot.com/2010/06/somebody-raised-question-about.html

psn(19th January, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110112201057AAX5pm4
What is the difference between chanting mantras and giving affirmations to the subconscious mind and which is?
more effective?
If mantras are meant to program the subconscious mind, and also to get rid of unwanted thoughts, what about affirmations?
Instead of saying Gayathri mantra , if I say "I'm getting stronger and with the strength I have I will help everyone around"

All this is said in Alpha state of mind where you're totally in touch with your subconscious mind, so these things gets registered at a deeper level even though its not at a conscious level

So is there any difference between mantra and affirmations
and
which one is more effective

My suggestion:
A motor car has to be 'steered', and there must be control on the brake, gears, clutch, etc especially on a curved gradient. A train, is almost held firmly between the rails, the rails held firmly by fish plates. The fish plates are frequently pushed back into its place by track laborers. So, the train needs very little 'steering' compared to that of the vehicle, and this comparison gets magnified when we take into account the size, weight and the power of the train (for instance, if we try to visualise that same train with all its bogies, etc, runnning on a road highway, with the wheels left at the entire mercy of the steering!
.
.A mantra has embedded sounds which are technically called 'seed' aphabets. It does wonders, without the need of mind focusing. That is the effect of chanting. (The mind does affect, but only adversely, ... that is why a person chanting with a cluttered mind fails to notice the benefit of that chanting soon/easily.)
..
There was a video where a 6 month baby laughs incessently, when the dad makes some sounds like 'clung' 'bing' 'dueng' etc. Probably the mother did the videographing. Most people love to watch that full throated laughter again and again on that utterly innocent baby face! (But, very few would have stopped to see deep enough, that the child is not focused looking at anywhere in particular, and does not laugh at all the varieties of sounds! The child's logcial aspect of the mind is hardly functional at that tender age. The sound travels unhindered, and activates the energy centers within that child. Quite unawares, the child manifests the appropriate emotion attached to that particular intuitive response generated by the brain with each surge of energy, triggered or initiated by that sound which travels through ears to that part of the body, plus the direct subtle vibration that directly reaches that tender, fresh, heavily receptive, clean body! (It is very difficult to even look at such a possibility, leave alone "trying" to accept it. Only an experience through some deeper level spiritual processes/programs at sustained practices can afford a glimpse at such a possibility :) ... Yet the temptation is there to make this possibility 'seemingly' available, at least! Please see, we get a jolt at some unexpected sounds from the rear, our back side, when we are set into silence, doing some work with an absorbed mind! Different sounds give different levels of that 'jerk'. Our mind is in a hurry to call it as 'shock' .. very close to fear!)