Who am I?

When I sit still and silent in Dhyan (meditation) doing nothing, what do I find? Nothing. I am a non-entity. I am a nobody.

I am doing nothing but a lot is happening. Sensations arise and fade in the body. Thoughts come (God knows from where), do their dance for a while and then fade away as easily as they had come.

I have nothing to give because nothing belongs to me. Yet I have a lot to share, to pass on, to distri bute.

I am at present trying to achieve this state of Vairagya (dis-attachment) even with the organs of sensing and action functioning freely.

I am a postman.

Ganoba

Work Etihcs

Last night I met a young man who had just finished his studies and was about to start working (as if, he was not working till then).

I said to him, "If you work for money, name or fame or building a career, you will find work very streeful. It will sap your energy. You may get money, fame etc. but they are fickle, they come and go at their own sweet will.

On the other hand, if you work in the service of the larger good, you will find work deeply satisfying."

"What is larger good", he asked.

"I cannot tell you that. However, you will know it in your heart.",said I. "Try it out for yourself." I said before parting, both of us deeply satisfied.

Ganoba

Mind & its Tricks

In meditation or Dhyan we progressively observe the subtler phenomena going on in and around us. This eventually leads to observing the mind, how we have created it and what we have stuffed inside it. Then it is obvious that it is the mind that is the cause of all our problems and the solution is to get out of it and go beyond it. It is clear that mind is Maya, the bhulbhulaiya.
After this realisation one is no longer a prisoner of the mind and is not effected by its tricks.
Ganoba

Problems & Solutions

The problem is inside the box in which we have placed our mind.
The solution is outside it.
Get outside the box and the solutuion becomes obvious.

Ganoba

Seamlessly One

Where does I end and you begin? We seem to have a clear cut answer to this question. A moments reflection, to question the answers, will make it clear that the answer is not so obvious.

Where does the stomach end and the chest begin or the hand end and the shoulder begin?

We will find that there is no clear cut dividing line. These are seamlessly one. Our whole body is seamlessly one.

Let us take this a little further. Where does the body end and the mind begin? Where does the mind end and the soul begin? Where does the inside end and the outside begin?

Aren't all these seamlessly one?

Where does light end and darkness begin?

Now you will notice that the first question was not all that stupid.

I await your response in deep love.

Ganoba

Sansar, the make believe world

Sansar, worldliness comes into being when we compare, this with that.
Reality then eludes us and we are caught up in the web of Maya, the make believe world.
It can and does happen even in so called holy places (this place is more holy than that, Krishna is superior to Shiva, so on and so forth) and even in spiritual practices.
One way of escaping the seductive clutches of Maya is to be in the present, avoiding comparison with past and future, considering one better than the other.
That is all. Your actions(karma) will decide your fate.
Nothing else matters.
Ganoba

Charity

Charity begins, not when we give things, but when we give up.
When we give up the right to ownership
then it amounts to a small step on the spiritual path.
In stages we begin to realise that it belongs to all of us
and then the realisation that it belongs to none of us.
Then we come to know the true owner.
Ganoba

In Distress

To all souls in trouble.
Yes, your whole being wants to run, not away from, but towards the center, to the source of all wisdom.
The troubled self in its confusion reads the message wrongly.
When we meditate, that is become silent and still, doing nothing hasty, then we see clearly and our total energy is available to do what is needed to be done.
One way to look at life is, as a grand learning institution. As we proceed we are presented with tougher lessons. This is a sign that we are progressing spiritually. It is important not to turn back and to run for safety. The risk is that we will lose all our doubts one by one. Clarity and lightness is the reward.
It is foolish to take a short cut into carnal pleasures, like drugs and sex, when in difficulty. What is needed now is greater vigilance. That is another name for meditation.
I am always by your side, holding your hand and walking side by side.
Lots of love
Ganoba

Support System

A support system is like a trampoline. It supports and enhances the performance. While doing so it does not interfere with the choices we make. In the event of a mishap it minimises the risk of serious injury. In so doing it allows us the freedom to try out dangerous adventures. It is like the safety net under a trapeze artist.
In nature the earth under our feet, the atmosphere all around us, the water bodies, the forests and all the other species are together our support system. Because they operate unobtrusively we do not recognise their value to us. Ancient societies treated these as gods and worshiped them. The modern man ignores, exploits, and abuses them. This has come to a point where the ecological balance and our own survival is seriously threatened. Even today there are a large number of people who think that the issue of global warming is being hyped up unnecessrily.
In our individual life, the family, the neighbourhood, the comunity and the various social and professional bodies are our support system. Because of our misplaced focus on the individual and his/her rights we have over the years distroyed these. We have tried to replace them by statutory agencies constituted by the government or by profit seeking corporates. These are impersonal by their very nature. As such over time their services become poor and unreliable.
In my capacity as a counseller, I come across a lot of people who are lonely and lost. They are groping in the dark to find a sustainable anchor. They end up attending a series of self help programs, one after another, to no avail. A large number take up religious and/or spiritual rituals. The increase in violence and cheating at the local and global level shows no sign of abetting.
Where do we go from here? What is the way out? We need to start reflecting individually and collectively, not as an intellectual excercise, but as an in depth exploration of the source of the present malaise. There shold be no fingers pointing outwards. Let us turn inwards to find genuine and workable answers. Let us begin our day, everyday with this exploration. The questions, "who am I?", "what is my place in the larger scheme?" and "what am I doing to nurture my environment?" have become urgent and cannot be postponed anymore.
To take care of ourselves we have to take care of our surroundings.
Ganoba

Likes and Dislikes

Whatever the basis of our likes and dislikes, it is like a small window through which we view the world and whatever it offers us. It confines us to a dingy existence. We, in our juvenile wisdom, refuse to accept the womderful things life offers to us. A moments reflection will make it clear to us that we need to rise above this juvenile stupidity.
Let us try out a few of the things we dislike, on an experimental basis, to discover their intrinsic worth. For example, some of the bitter foods like bitter gourd and methi are very effective for regulating blood sugar and are a boon for people suffering from diabeties. Let us give a second chance to people whom we have rejected on flimsy grounds. Let us re-visit those places which have unpleasant associations in our mind. Let us try out those acts, like singing and dancing, that we feel akward performing.
It is time we expanded the likes and shrunk the dislikes. This is one way of growing spiritually.
I have benefitted immensely by doing this. I am sure, you will be amazed by the lifting of burdens and the clarity regarding all issues. Welcome.
Ganoba

Learning Spiral

Learning that brings about sustained change in behaviour is "True Learning."
It is an experiential spiral.
It begins with a suggestion that is acted upon.
The action is in an experimental mode with an open mind.
An experiment implies that we are willing to accept any outcome.
It also implies detailed observation of the actions and the results produced, both inside our body and mind as also those in the world outside.
The next important step is to share these observations with a colleague, a co-traveler.
Sharing is a crucial step in the spiral.
This allows the learning to be internalised and owned up.
With this step we are freed from dependence on an external source for guidance.
Ideas beginning to come from within.
We are now on the learning spiral.
The internal guru has been awakened.

Won't you like to get on the learning spiral?
Welcome.
Ganoba

The Gardner

What is the relationship between spirituality and worldliness?
For many they are completely unrelated and incompatible.
For some the relationship is sequential.
To them spirituality can be practiced only after all the worldly matters have been dealt with.
By then most are too old to be able to do anything worthwhile.
Some others turn to spirituality when they have failed in their worldly pursuits or when they have become meaningless; the sour grapes stage of worldliness. Then they end up performing meaningless rituals or end up joining religious cults. This is like jumping into the fire to escape the torture of the frying pan.

To understand the true relationship between the two, let us keep a tree in our mind.
One half of the tree; the stock, the branches, the leaves, flowers and fruit is visible to us and we value it.
The other half, the root system, is below the ground and is usually ignored.
Ask anyone to draw a tree and they will invariably draw only the upper half. This is the whole tree for them.
If we were to take care of only the upper part and neglect the roots would the tree survive?
It may struggle to survive but it would certainly not thrive.

Worldliness is the upper part of reality. It is not the whole of it.
Spirituality is the invisible half that supports and nurtures the whole tree.
Together they constitute the whole. They compliment each other.
It is foolish to neglect anyone of them. It is also foolish to separate them and to practice them sequentially.

Let us live as a whole or we would end up in a hole.
Let us take care of the tree of life like a good Gardner.

Ganoba

When I was younger I thought of the happenings in my life as deserved or undeserved. This was regulated by my likes and dislikes. Those events that I liked were classified as deserved and I would pride myself for those achievements. Those that I did not like were classified as undeserved. I would raise a question about them. "Why is this happening to me?" This was a pseudo question because i never made a serious attempt to answer it. The assumed answer was that this should have been happening to someone else. It was explained away by saying that the world was not fair. This blocked any in depth exploration and prematurely closed the question.

When I eventually examined this question in depth and with some honesty then I found my position to be horrendous. Fairness to me meant that all the goodies should come to me and that all the tragedies ahould befall others.

I have now outgrown this childishness. Today I hold that all the happenings, whether to me or in the whole universe, happen by the grace of God. God of course is not a person but the creative principle, the source of the created universe. This position has helped to clear the mind of a lot of superstition. I do not yet understand all that is happening but i am at least open about them. I do get disturbed by some of the events happening to me but by the grace of God, it does not cloud my vision for long.

Clarity and sanity soon descend on me.

Ganoba

Blessings (on Gurupurnima)

Blessings are pouring all over.
what we need to do is to get out of the protective umbrellas, rain coats and other shelters.
From whom are we protecting ourselves?
Be ready to get drenched.
Ganoba

Responding to Live Situation

When we are travelling, by car or train or an aircraft the situation around us is continuously changing. If we are piloting the craft we cannot afford not to notice it. If we are mere passengers we can shut the windows and go to sleep. Paying passengers believe they have a right to this luxury. If the pilot were to switch off and go to sleep, what then?

All of a sudden the situation gets bad. The weather turns violent. There is engine trouble or something even worse, may be a hijack. Panic is the reaction of many of us. Almost everyone is anxious and worried. Eachone worrying about his/her own safety.

Let us now see what many of us do with life. Do we live life like a pilot, as an ordinary passenger or as a paying special class passenger? Most of the time the journey is uneventful. Every thing follows a predetermined routine. We are whiling away the time watching a movie, drinking wine, chatting with our neighbour or sleeping. Some are restless even at such times and keep complaining about trivial matters. Many of us do not know how to celebrate when good fortune visits us. We celebrate by throwing(!) a party. There is a lot of food ( a lot is wasted too), a lot of booze, a lot of noise & boasting and finally a hangover. All this while people round the corner are going hungry.

When something untoward happens We try to hide the fact, hoping that the situation would some how correct itself. We put up a brave front and try to show as if everything is fine and under control. When the facade falls, anxiety, worry and panic set in. We try to dig out information which in no way would help to deal with the situation. We try to find out why it happened, with a view to crucifying someone. Many will proffer advice without being competent to do so. Many statements that I have heard people making at such times are downright bizzare.

In my understanding only two types of responses are helpful under any circumstance.

1. What can I learn from this situation and the way I have dealt with it?

2.What service can I provide at this time to ameliorate the situation?

Anything else is a waste of time and energy and is best left undone.

Ganoba

Being One Self

Recently a friend died in my arms. One moment she was struggling to survive and suffering and the next moment she was gone. Her body was still there, but it was now beyond experiencing, either pain or pleasure. For the last few days she had not passed urine. All attempts to induce urination had failed. The doctors had given up on her. "It is just a matter of time", they said. As soon as consciousness left her the urine leaked out. People around her were crying and wailing. She was unconcerned. She wasn't there anyway.

All of us have had similar experiences. We have seen the mighty and powerful being dead bodies in a moment. Can we still identify with the body as the real self? Is it the body that is choosing, thinking, dreaming and making things happen?

To me it is clear that the body is no more than a vehicle. We need to take good care of it while we are using it. In spite of taking good care of it we would have to discard it one day when the model begins to malfunction or when our journey is completed. Anything that has a name and frame (naam-roop) would be limited by them. This is the law of nature. There is no exception to this. It applies to individuals and organisations. Once we accept this we are free from all the machinations of the mind; anxieties and worries, dreams and aspirations, success and failure, disappointments and hopes, distractions and detours etc.

All the struggles end. We are now free to live as we were supposed to in the first place. We see clearly now that our circumstances and our own personal qualities are just right for our mission on earth. There is no seeking and finding. We are now on a journey without a beginning or an end. We are now free to be ourselves and enjoy.

Ganoba

Return to Nature

There is nothing wrong with profits. Everyone would want to improve.Even in the spiritual field the aspirant would like to progress. The problem with modern businesses is that they would want profits keep increasing all the time. They want productivity to keep increasing all the time. They want markets to keep getting bigger and their share of the market to get bigger.They want corporations to get bigger and bigger till they are the biggest in the world.

Nature simply does not allow this. It does not play favourites. There is no reason it will favour one country or one people or one ethnic group or one religion over any other. It distrubutes the resources and opportunities equitably. It maintains a dynamic balance among all the players. They are all its children.Towards that end it balances the opposites. What goes up has to come down. The victim will not remain the underdog all the time. So nature plants the seed of destruction into every thing at the time of its birth. What takes birth has to die. That is how nature is sustainable and self replicating. At the same time there are no clones in nature.

All the ancient civilizations understood this and built their societies accordingly. Modern man after he found science as a tool to decipher the mysteries of nature became arrogant. He wants to subvert nature, to improve upon it, to master it. Unless we recognise this as a serious disease, the systems we create, economic, social, political or otherwise, are bound to crash. They will create an illusion of prosperity and wellbeing but under the facade there would be nothing but misery.

Cosmetic solutions will not do. Let us return to nature and learn to respect it.

Ganoba

Honouring Boundaries

The body is contained within a boundary, the skin.
It has to work within limitations.
We may develop our capacities to a certain extent.
They will eventually reach a peak, a plateau and then begin to ebb.
The ego , based as it is on the body, follows the same principle.
In working with them we need to work with awareness,
otherwise we attempt to breakthrough our limits
and end up causing grievous damage to our body and our psyche.
On the other hand if we work with awareness,
we would stretch up to our limits and stay there, honouring our limits.
Then the limits expand allowing us increased space to maneuver.
Greed is one of the reasons why we ignore our limits and suffer.
Ganoba

Surrender to Nature

Whenever I am disturbed or depressed, the reason is that I have distanced myself from nature; nature out there and my own nature.
The remedy then is obvious, to go in the lap of nature. If, possible I go for a walk in a park, sit by a mass of water, a flowing brook or a lake with my feet in the water, listening quietly to the musical sounds nature produces.
If this is not possible then go to the back yard and tinker with the plants growing there.
Sometimes I listen to classical instrumental music. This has always quietened the mind and the priorities get rearranged in a natural order.
At such times words are a distraction, because they engage the mind in finding meaning within the usual intellectual structures, which are the cause of the disturbance in the first place.
How can they help?
Silence and surrender to nature always helps.
Ganoba

The Essence of Bhakti

Cleaning is the essence of all spiritual practice, by whatever name it may be called.It has 3 aspects:

Cleaning our immediate environment,

Cleaning our body both inside and outside,

Cleaning the mind,

till there is nothing left that we can call ur own.

The cleaner it gets, clearer the truth will shine.Then there is nothing between us and our source.We are one.This is the essence of Bhakti.

Ganoba

Being Open

When I engage with the world an experience comes into being.
It belongs to the world just as it belongs to me.
The quality of the experience depends on the quality of the engagement.
If I engage with the world in my totality without any reservation, the experience is wholesome,almost divine.
If I withhold a part of me from the engagement out of fear and defensiveness, then the experience is nightmarish and disturbing. It confuses and confounds.
Having realised this truth, I try, at all times and all places, to be open and transparent.
Ganoba

Respecting All

God is in everyone and in everything, at all places and at all times.
When I am silent and still I live this self evident truth.
No sooner I make a move or begin to speak, the ego comes into play
and a gap is created between me and God.
The self evident truth is now at best a belief,
at worst a debatable opinion or a hypothesis in need of empirical evidence.
I believe this phenomenon is applicable to others too.
To live the truth of God's omnipotence let us attempt to respect all whom we meet.
This is the least we can do, though loving them would be the ideal response.
For God is Love.
Ganoba

Vikarm

The impact our actions, including words, make on the outside world are not particularly important. the wise do not bother too much about them, one way or the other.

The impact that it makes on us is very important because this is what helps to build character. Whether we turn out to be wise and compassionate or fickle minded and vindictive depends on the inner impact.

The wise recommend that we pay attention to the inner manifestations and not bother too much about the effects on the world outside.

In the Indian tradition it is called Vikarm and is the principle teaching of Geeta.

Ganoba

Healing and Pain

Anyone wanting to be a healer,
has to befriend pain, suffering, privation, loss and the like
to a point where the desire to hit back when hurt, is completely extinguished.
Only then the ability to remain still comes into play.
A still mind can begin to understand the problem in its wholeness.
Healing is then not a surgical intervention but proceeds from within.
Ganoba

Being a Lover

BEING A LOVER IS CLOSE TO BEING A WORKER. WHEN THE RUBY BECOMES THE SUNRISE, THE TRANSPARENCY CHANGES TO A DAILY ROUTINE. THERE IS A STORY ABOUT A SUFI WHO RIPS HIS ROBE AND GIVESIT THE NAME FARAJI,WHICH MEANS "RIPPED OPEN" OR "HAPPINESS" OR "ONE WHO BRINGS THE JOY OF BEING OPENED" iT COMES FROM THE STEM FARAJ, WHICH ALSO REFERS TO THE GENITALS, MALE AND FEMALE. THE SUFI TEACHER SEES THE PURITY OF THE NAME AND THE ACTION, WHILE OTHERS NOTICE ONLY HIS RAGGED APPEARENCE.
PEACE AND COMPASSION COME AS COVERINGS ARE THROWN OPEN AND THE STREAMING BEAUTY OF EMOTION FLOWS THROUGH THE LOVER-WORKER.
RUMI SUGGESTS IN ANOTHER POEM THAT BEING HUMAN IS A GUEST HOUSE WHERE TRAVELLERS ARE WELCOMED AND ENTERTAINED.THE WORK IS TO BE A GOOD HOST AT THE CARAVANSERAI.
Ganoba

excerpt from Essential Rumi

translated by Coleman Banks