Wednesday, December 29, 2010

WORDS




Words are very powerful. They can empower you or destroy you. Therefore the intelligent use of words is crucial. Anthony Robbins describes here the power of words and necessity using words with caution and intelligence. Read and think....and be careful hereafter in your use of words.

N.Ganeshan


WORDS


Words . . . They've been used to make us laugh and cry. They can wound or heal. They offer us hope or devastation. With words we can make our noblest intentions felt and our deepest desires known. Throughout human history, our greatest leaders and thinkers have used the power of words to transform our emotions, to enlist us in their causes, and to shape the course of destiny. Words can not only create emotions, they create actions.

Most beliefs are formed by words—and they can be changed by words as well. Our nation's view of racial equality was certainly shaped by actions, but those actions were inspired by impassioned words. Who can forget the moving invocation of Martin Luther King, jr., as he shared his vision, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live the true meaning of its creed . . ."? Many of us are well aware of the powerful pan that words have played in our history, of the power that great speakers have to move us, but few of us are aware of our own power to use these same words to move ourselves emotionally, to challenge, embolden, and strengthen our spirits, to move ourselves to action, to seek greater richness from this gift we call life.

An effective selection of words to describe the experience of our lives can heighten our most empowering emotions. A poor selection of words can devastate us just as surely and just as swiftly. Most of us make unconscious choices in the words that we use; we sleepwalk our way through the maze of possibilities available to us. Realize now the power that your words command if you simply choose them wisely.

What a gift these simple symbols are! We transform these unique shapes we call letters (or sounds, in the case of the spoken word) into a unique and rich tapestry of human experience. They provide us with a vehicle for expressing and sharing our experience with others; however, most of us don't realize that the words you habitually choose also affect how you communicate with yourself and therefore what you experience.

Words can injure our egos or inflame our hearts—we can instantly change any emotional experience simply by choosing new words to describe to ourselves what we're feeling. If, however, we fail to master words, and if we allow their selection to be determined strictly by unconscious habit, we may be denigrating our entire experience of life.

Most people are not challenged, though, by the size of the vocabulary they consciously understand, but rather by the words they choose to use. Many times, we use words as "short cuts," but often these short cuts shortchange us emotionally. To consciously control our lives, we need to consciously evaluate and improve our consistent vocabulary to make sure that it is pulling us in the direction we desire instead of that which we wish to avoid.

- Anthony Robbins

Thursday, December 23, 2010

How to form good habits?





Forming a habit is easy. To form a habit all you need to do is repeat the activity. With enough repetitions it becomes a habit. A habit can be formed in a few days, depending on the amount of repetition. The more you do it after the habit is formed, the more reinforcement you give to that habit and the stronger it becomes. Since habits form so easily and they can cause you a lot of problems, you should make sure you are forming good habit when you create it.

All habits start small but end up eventually being very difficult to break. A small thing over a long period of time can have some massive unintended consequences. But it is never too late to change. Regardless of our age or how old the habit has been, this can be done by awareness and using techniques that modify behavior. People quote very often that you can't teach an old dog new trick. We are human beings, not dogs. Neither are we performing tricks. We can unlearn self-destructive behavior and learn positive behavior.

The secret of successful people is that they form the habit of doing things that failures do not like to do and would not do. For example, failures do not like discipline, hard work, or keeping commitments. Successful people also dislike discipline, hard work (an athlete does not like and want the discipline to get up and train every day but he does it regardless), but they do it anyway because they have formed the habit of doing things that failures do not like to do.

You can be successful, but it takes a lot of energy and focus and motivation and it is hard to do that with a lot of habits all at once. It is better to start with one habit, and apply proven habit-change methodology to that habit, and then once that has become a habit, move on to the next habit.

Here are the methods you can use to form new good habits successfully:

Set your own goal and keep it in writing . Write the goals down in simple terms, and post them all around. In your kitchen, bedroom, office, even the bathroom if necessary. Viewing the goals many times a day subconsciously begin to influence you.

Visualize the goal clearly. If you can perfectly visualize the habit in your head, the work will be easier.

Start slowly. If you want to become stronger or faster, choose short exercises at first. Then, make them larger, in order to adapt to the habit.

Give importance to consistency rather than performance. For example, if your goal is to do daily push ups, it's better to start by doing one push up EVERY DAY for a month than by doing 20 push ups for two days and then giving up. After you have done one pushup consistently for a number of days, you have formed the habit. Now increase the number of push ups gradually from there, all the while striving to do some number of push ups EVERY day. Excellence is the result of repeated conscious effort until it becomes a habit. It needs enough practice to become a habit.

Focus. It’s extremely important that you maintain your focus on this new habit for the full 21 days. That is why it is hard to do more than one or two habits at a time — you can not maintain focus. Find ways to bring your focus back to your habit.

Excuse yourself for failures – this is hard work. Falling off the wagon for one week is not a total failure, it’s just a setback. When you fail, ask yourself, “What got in the way of my achieving goal?” Be honest with yourself. Think about the reasons and guard yourself against future occurrences

Positive thinking. This is perhaps the most important element. If you tell yourself that you can do this, that you will do it, then you will. Remove all negative thoughts, and replace them with positive ones. You can do this!

Rome wasn’t built overnight, and you can’t change from being undisciplined, unorganized, procrastinating, unproductive to organize, productive, with a do-it-now habit. Give yourself time to make these changes. But stick to your plan against all odds with determination.

- N.Ganeshan

Saturday, December 11, 2010

THE VISION




“The vision that you glorify in your mind,” says James Allen, “the ideal that you enthrone in your heart—this you will build your life by, this you will become. Every man becomes like his ideal, realizes the vision which dominates his life, and towards which he constantly struggles". So the vision we hold in our mind is the determining factor of our life. Without vision nothing worthwhile can be achieved in our life. Orison Swett Marden explains eloquently why one fails while other one succeeds and the role of vision in success and failure. Read these thoughtful lines and think.....

- N.Ganeshan


THE VISION



We rise with our vision. All elevation, all progress, is first mental. It is based on faith in a visualized ideal. Everything starts with a vision, and the result always corresponds to the nature of the vision and our faithfulness to it. Buddha became what he did because he gravitated towards his vision. George Washington concentrated upon a vision of liberty and a grand democracy which would be a model for the whole world, and he never ceased to struggle until the vision became a reality. Andrew Carnegie became the great iron master because he gravitated towards his vision; because of his struggles to realize that dominant vision. John Wanamaker is what he is because he concentrated upon his vision, by always reaching out toward it, always striving to match with reality his dream of a mammoth business.

“The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say ‘How lucky he is!’ Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim ‘How highly favored he is!’ And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, they remark, ‘How chance aids him at every turn!’ They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifice they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable, and realize the vision of their heart.”

The reason why so many people fail to realize their ideals is that they are not willing to do their part to make it real. Remember that the longing, the desire to do a certain thing, is merely sowing the seed of your ambition. If you stop at this you will get about as much harvest as the farmer would get if he put his seed in the ground without preparing the soil, without fertilizing it and keeping the weeds down.

No one gets very far in this world, or expresses great power, until he catches a glimpse of his higher self—until he feels that the divinity which is stirring within him, and which impels him on the way of his ambition, in the line of his aspiration, is an indication, a prophecy of his ability to reach the ideal which haunts him. The Creator has not put desires in our hearts without giving us the ability and the opportunity for realizing them. There are a thousand proofs in the very formation of our body and brain that we were planned and adapted in every detail of our marvelous structure to achieve grand, glorious things, that we were created and fitted for success and happiness.

No matter how unfortunate your environment, or how unpromising your present condition, if you cling to your vision and keep struggling toward its realization, you are mentally building, enlarging your ideal, increasing the power of your mental magnet to attract your own.

Never mind opposition, never mind criticism, never mind if others call you a fool or a crank—they called the Christ the same—be true to the mysterious message within, the divine voice which bids you up and on. No matter what other things you have to give up, no matter what sacrifices you have to make, let everything else go if necessary, but cling to the ideal which haunts your dreams, for it points to the star of your destiny, and if you follow it you will come out of the darkness into beauty and brightness. Your highest ideal, the vision of your life work which you long to make real, is your best friend. Keep as close to it as you can, stick to it, and it will lead you to your goal. You may not understand why the star has been put so high above you and why so many mountains of obstacles and difficulties intervene, but if you keep your eye on the star and listen to the voice of your soul which bids you climb on, you will reach it.

- Orison Swett Marden

Monday, November 22, 2010

Psychometry-An art of reading psychic vibrations




Psychometry is a form of extra-sensory perception characterized by the ability to make relevant associations from an object of unknown history by making physical contact with that object. It is the art of interpreting the psychic vibrations contained in objects. Sometimes referred to as "psychic touch," it is the ability to read an object's history or the history of those who may have handled it. While it deals most often with the past, it may often reflect present states as well. It is often used in cases of missing persons. The psychic reader can touch an object the person has worn or touched, usually an article of clothing, to get intuitive impressions of the person’s whereabouts.

Through psychometry one can describe not only the events of a person's life, but also how the person is feeling, thinking and reacting to these events. In order to receive clear information, the object should belong to and have been worn only by the person getting the reading. Many consider psychometry to be closely related to the concept of the Akashic Records, which is a sort of universal filing system that records every occurring thought, word, and action by impressing a record on a subtle substance called "akasha."

In the early 1920s, Gustav Pagenstecher, a German doctor and psychical researcher, observed psychometric abilities in one of his patients, who could describe sights, sounds, and feelings about an object's "experience." Pagenstecher theorized that objects had experiential vibrations which the psychometrist could access. This vibrational theory is the one that intrigues researchers the most. There also appears to be a certain scientific basis for such a theory, as all matter on a sub-atomic level exists as vibrations or waves.

Stephan Ossowiecki: Born in Russia in 1877, Ossowiecki claimed several psychic abilities, including aura reading and psychokinesis. Ossowiecki was well-known for being able to perceive the contents of sealed envelopes. It was claimed that he perceived the ideas of handwritten letters, but was unable to do so if a statement were typed or printed. Ossowiecki was also tested at the University of Warsaw, where he produced apparently accurate information about the detailed lives of prehistoric humans by holding a 10,000 year old flint tool. After the Nazis invaded Poland, Ossowiecki used his abilities to help people find out what had happened to their loved ones, by holding a photograph of the missing person. He refused to accept payment for these services. Ossowiecki died before the end of the war, having accurately predicted such a thing would happen.

This power is also used to solve a murder or other police cases and the experts are called “psychic detectives”. In Europe, there was a well-known psychic detective named Gerald Croiset, who was accredited with solving numerous murder cases. Croiset claims that throughout his childhood, he experienced numerous psychic encounters. He was able to tell the life history of those he came in contact with, just by touching one of their belongings. While visiting the shop, he picked up a ruler and was overtaken with an overload of images that he felt belonged to the watchmaker. After engaging in a conversation with the watchmaker, he was correct in assuming that the visions he experienced were from the watchmaker’s time as a youth.

Croiset first helped the police with his abilities in 1949 when he was asked to describe what was contained inside two sealed boxes just by touching them alone. Not only did he describe the contents, but also stated detailed information regarding the crime scene. The police were impressed and decided to call upon him for assistance with future dilemmas. Croiset’s visions and descriptions were able to locate lost daughters, apprehend murderers, as well as lead police to additional clues of a crime case.

He achieved one more notable success when invited to Tokyo, Japan in the 1970s to locate a missing child. Within 24 hours he had provided a description of the location in which her body could be found, and when her body was found after following his instructions, all details seemed to match exactly. But it should be mentioned that his reputation became tarnished in his later years by his well publicized failures.

Though Psychometry is hard to believe for some people, there is evidence to show that some sort of mental power does exist. Joseph Rodes Buchanan said “The Past is entombed in the Present! The world is its own enduring monument; and that which is true of its physical, is likewise true of its mental career. The discoveries of Psychometry will enable us to explore the history of man, as those of geology enable us to explore the history of the earth. There are mental fossils for psychologists as well as mineral fossils for the geologists; and I believe that hereafter the psychologist and the geologist will go hand in hand — the one portraying the earth, its animals and its vegetation, while the other portrays the human beings who have roamed over its surface in the shadows, and the darkness of primeval barbarism! Aye, the mental telescope is now discovered which may pierce the depths of the past and bring us in full view of the grand and tragic passages of ancient history”

- N.Ganshan

Saturday, November 13, 2010

The sin of omission




We may be active and busy throughout our life. But if we are too busy to do certain things we miss life itself. When we turn back to look at our past life these things would haunt us and give us regrets. So don't commit the sin of omission as Margaret E.Sangster explained in this beautiful poetry...

N.Ganeshan



The sin of omission

It isn't the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone
That gives you a bit of heart ache
At setting of the sun.
The tender word forgotten
The letter you did not write,
The flowers you did not send, dear
Are your haunting ghosts at night.
The stone you might have lifted
Out of a brother's way;
The bit of heartsome counsel
You were hurried too much to say;
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle, winning tone
Which you had no time nor thought for
With troubles enough of your own.

- Margaret E.Sangster

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Are you looking for perfection?




One afternoon, Mulla Nasruddin and his friend were sitting in a cafe, drinking tea and talking about life and love. His friend asked: “How come you never married?”

“Well,” said Nasruddin, “to tell you the truth, I spent my youth looking for the perfect woman. In Cairo I met a beautiful and intelligent woman, but she was unkind. Then in Baghdad, I met a woman who was a wonderful and generous soul, but we had no common interests. One woman after another would seem just right, but there would always be something missing. Then, one day, I met her. Beautiful, intelligent, generous and kind. We had very much in common. In fact, she was perfect!”

“What happened?” asked Nasruddin’s friend, “Why didn’t you marry her?”

Nasruddin sipped his tea reflectively. “Well,” he replied, “it’s really the sad story of my life…. It seemed she was looking for the perfect man…”

Seeking perfection is good when we seek it in us. It makes us to develop ourselves more and more. It motivates us to make more and more improvements. But when we seek it in others it results in perpetual misery. As Mulla Nasruddin found, the other people also could expect the same kind of perfection from us. It paves the ways to endless conflicts.

Some times perfection seems to be a mere idea people form in their mind. So one’s idea of perfection may not be the idea of perfection to other. And rigid perfection-seeking is a great obstacle in finding the small pleasures of daily life.

Alexandra Stoddard offers a more Zen-like approach in her book, The Art of the Possible: The Path from Perfectionism to Balance and Freedom. She suggests looking for "perfect moments" to savor in our day rather than chasing a perfect life. "Those perfect moments lift us up and delight us," she says. "But if the focus is perpetual perfection, there is no peace."

Glatzer, who considers herself a recovering perfectionist, adds, "I had to learn to say 'so what?' sometimes. So what if my hair wasn't perfect? So what if I got somewhere late or had to leave a little early? I had to give myself permission to be imperfect. That freed me up to be more of a real human being."

Remember her wise observation. Sometimes allow yourself and others the freedom to be imperfect in little things of life. Learn to ask “So what?” In this way you can find more peace in life.

N.Ganeshan

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Ten Steps to goal




Most of us have goals in our life. But most of them are vague and confusing. So they are not easily reachable. We struggle year after year. But the progress is not equivalent to our struggles. Very often the reason lies in the way of our setting the goals. How to set goals perfectly? - Dr. Philip E. Humbert explains very clearly in this article. Read and set your goals. Surely you will reach your goals....

N.Ganeshan


The Top 10 Steps to Set and Achieve Your Goals - Every Time!

It’s been said that everyone has goals, whether we know it or not. We have goals to keep our current job, or to get a different one. We have goals to save for the future, or to travel, take a vacation, or purchase the things we need and want to make our lives more enjoyable. An important distinction, however, is that top achievers are very intentional and focused on their goals, while many of the rest of us are not.

Top achievers know that the wording, structure, timing and format of a goal can make it’s achievement much easier – or far more difficult. Top achievers understand the basic skills for setting and reaching their goals, every time! They know how to design goals that create success. Here are the 10 most important steps to set and achieve your goals:

1. Reachable goals are SPECIFIC. Top achievers know that to reach their goals, the brain must know exactly, precisely, what they are trying to accomplish. Never word a goal with vague terms like “some” or “a little bit”, or “more”. Be specific! If you want to lose 8 pounds and reach a weight of 175, specify those exact numbers. If you want to save $200 this month, be exact. Your brain can help you accomplish almost anything if it knows precisely what you are aiming for.

2. Reachable goals are SIMPLE. Many people describe their goals in complex terms of retiring on the beach in Hawaii, with nice cars and lots of money, and…. Their list goes on and on. Any ONE of those things is a great goal, but the combination becomes over whelming and the brain gets confused. If you want to retire in Hawaii, just say so! If you want to increase your sales by 10% this month, say so! Keep your goals simple, clear, and focused.

3. Reachable goals are SIGNIFICANT. No one can muster the enthusiasm, hard work and courage to reach a goal they don’t really care about. A reachable goal is one you really, really, REALLY want! It’s something that will change your life, enhance your health or wealth, and make you proud. It gets your juices flowing, gets you up in the morning, and keeps you going all day long, because it is important! Set goals that are worth achieving!

4. Reachable goals are STRATEGIC. High achievers know that the best goals accomplish many great outcomes, all at one time. Running a 10K race will almost certainly: 1) feel great! 2) help you lose weight. 3) lower your cholesterol level 4) strengthen your heart 5) lower you risk of heart disease 6) increase your energy and stamina, and 7) improve your outlook. Design your goals to strategically impact as many areas of your life as possible. You’ll have more reasons to reach your goal and more excitement when you do!

5. Reachable goals are MEASURABLE. A goal without a measurable outcome is just a pipe-dream. You can’t achieve a pound of “happiness” or 6 inches of “self-esteem”, but you CAN get a new job. You CAN run a mile in under 7 minutes, or do 100 sit-ups. Someone has wisely observed that, “What gets measured, gets done.” Define your goals in terms of height, weight, dollars, inches, or hours. Then measure your progress until you achieve your desired outcome.

6. Reachable goals are RATIONAL. To reach your goal, you will need a plan, a path, and a vehicle for getting there. Your goals must make sense! When you explain them to friends and family, your goals should create excitement, draw support, and encouragement. Your goals should be just out of reach, but not out of sight! You want to stretch to be your best, not strain after impossible dreams. Set goals you CAN and WILL achieve!

7. Reachable goals are TANGIBLE. Choose goals that you can see, hear, smell or touch. Go for things you will enjoy and that you can clearly visualize. The brain has hard time going for “financial security”, but it can visualize a bank statement with nice, large numbers on it! Define your goals in terms that excite the senses, then go for it with all your heart!

8. Reachable goals are WRITTEN. High achievers always know precisely what they want, because they’ve written it down. Often, they write a short description of their goals every single morning, as a personal reminder of their priorities and their objectives. The act of writing your goals down vastly increases your chance of success. Write it down! Then, keep your notes where you can see and read them every day.

9. Reachable goals are SHARED. We are far more likely to stick to our plan and reach our goals if we know our friends and family support us. Being part of a team increases our determination, our stamina, and our courage. Caution: Never share your goals with anyone who may ridicule, tease or discourage you! The world is full of doubters and you have no time for them. But, find a support team, a group of cheerleaders, and a coach who will encourage you every step of the way. High achievers count on and work with other winners!

10. Reachable goals are CONSISTENT WITH YOUR VALUES. One of the biggest reasons people fail to achieve their goals is that they have conflict between their behavior and their values. However, when your values and your goals are in agreement, there is no stopping you! Clarify your values first, then set simple, specific, measurable, tangible, written goals that are consistent with those values. You will achieve them, every single time!


- Dr. Philip E. Humbert

Thursday, October 14, 2010

REAL LOVE



We all want to feel loved. We think about it, hope for it, fantasize about it, go to great lengths to achieve it, and feel that our lives are incomplete without it. The lack genuine love is the cause of most of our anger and frustration. It is no exaggeration to say that our emotional need for love is just as great as our physical need for air and food.

Most of us have been taught since childhood to do without Real Love and to settle instead for giving and receiving conditional love. Our misconceptions of unconditional love began in early childhood, where we saw that when we did all the right things—when we were quiet, obedient and good—people loved us. They smiled at us and spoke in gentle tones. But we also saw that when we were “bad,” all those signs of “love” instantly vanished. In short, we were taught by consistent experience that love was conditional, that we had to buy “love” from the people around us with our words and behavior. But, what is real love?

Real Love is "I care how you feel." Conditional love is "I like how you make me feel." Conditional love is what people give to us when we do what they want, and it's the only kind of love that most of us have ever known. People have liked us more when we made them feel good, or at least when we did nothing to inconvenience them. In other words, we have to buy conditional love from the people around us.
It's critical that we be able to distinguish between Real Love and conditional love. When we can't do that, we tend to settle for giving and receiving conditional love, which leaves us empty, unhappy, and frustrated.

Real Love is caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves. Real love means love without condition. It means giving love without expecting anything in return, including any reciprocal love. It’s also Real Love when other people care about our happiness unconditionally. It is not Real Love when other people like us for doing what they want. It is not about desire and possession; it is about appreciation and concern.

So there is a world of difference between conditional and unconditional love. So much so, that one cannot be sure that conditional love can be love at all. "If you loved me, then you would..." isn't love, but rather manipulation. If someone asks us to do or say something that isn't in our nature, that isn't true love. The one, who puts conditions upon their love, holds a manipulative power rather than a sacrificial love that costs them something. The one who invest all in a relationship, holding nothing back, and loving unconditionally will experience a love greater than the one who maintains conditions. Regardless of whether the love is unrequited or requited, the unconditional lover knows real love because they give all.

In contrast, a conditional love, if it could be called love at all, would be one without trust and perseverance. One that is easily withdrawn when anger ensues and where wrongs are recorded. It is not one that rejoices in truth, but one built on fear. A conditional love has elements of real love, but it is perverted and distorted and needs to be released from its conditions to become something it was meant to be. It is perfect love that drives out fear, for the recipient can rest assured that no matter their faults love will abound.

(At the same time real love doesn't mean making sure someone is always comfortable. Pain and discomfort are part of growth. If we believe loving someone is about fostering their growth and if we shield someone from all pain or discomfort, we do not love them. So let us not confuse loving someone with blindly making them comfortable, satisfying their desires, and shielding them from trials. If we do, we are only making it difficult for them to grow as human beings.)

Most of us have received little, if any, real Love. We prove that every day with the evidence of our unhappiness - our fear, anger, blaming, withdrawal, manipulation, controlling, and so on. People who know they're unconditionally loved don't feel and do those things. There is no fear, manipulation, conditions, or records of wrongs when real love is being given. True love is always and forever unconditional. Real love always hopes, always trusts, and always preservers. It does not boast. It is not easily angered. It rejoices in the truth. And it is never self-seeking. There is divine beauty in a relationship built on this kind of love reciprocated between two people.

- N.Ganeshan

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

CHANGE




Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find peace in our life. Change is the law of life. When we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer. The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mood of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form. Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot accept change cannot change anything. Christian Larsen explains the importance of change beautifully. Read and think.....

- N.Ganeshan


CHANGE

The greatest remedy in the world is change; and change implies the passing from the old to the new. It is also the only path that leads from the lesser to the greater, from the dream to the reality, from the wish to the heart's desire fulfilled.

It is change that brings us everything we want. It is the opposite of change that holds us back from that which we want. But change is not always external. Real change, or rather the cause of all change, is always internal.

It is the change in the within that first produces the change in the without. To go from place to place is not a change unless it produces a change of mind a renewal of mind.

It is the change of mind that is the change desired. It is the renewal of mind that produces better health, more happiness, greater power, the increase of life, and the consequent increase of all that is good in life. And the constant renewal of mind -- the daily change of mind -- is possible regardless of times, circumstances or places.

He who can change his mind every day and think the new about everything every day, will always be well; he will always have happiness; he will always be free; his life will always be interesting; he will constantly move forward into the larger, the richer and the better; and whatever is needed for his welfare today, of that he shall surely have abundance.

- Christian Larson


Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Law of Giving




Give to receive. If you don't give, you will not receive. Whatever you give you will receive it manifold. Everything given comes back to with interest accrued. This is a natural law. Deepak Chopra explains it very beautifully. Read, understand and start giving....

N.Ganeshan

The Law of Giving


In every seed is the promise of thousands of forests. But the seed must not be hoarded; it must give its intelligence to the fertile ground. Through its giving, its unseen energy flows into material manifestation.

The more you give, the more you will receive, because you will keep the abundance of the universe circulating in your life. In fact, anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given. That which doesn’t multiply through giving is neither worth giving nor worth receiving. If, through the act of giving, you feel you have lost something, then the gift is not truly given and will not cause increase. If you give grudgingly, there is no energy behind that giving.

It is the intention behind your giving and receiving that is the most important thing. The intention should always be to create happiness for the giver and receiver, because happiness is life-supporting and life-sustaining and therefore generates increase. The return is directly proportional to the giving when it is unconditional and from the heart. That is why the act of giving has to be joyful - the frame of mind has to be one in which you feel joy in the very act of giving. Then the energy behind the giving increases many times over.

Practicing the Law of Giving is actually very simple: if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; if you want material affluence, help others to become materially affluent. In fact, the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. This principle works equally well for individuals, corporations, societies, and nations. If you want to be blessed with all the good things in life, learn to silently bless everyone with all the good things in life.

The best way to put the Law of Giving into operation - to start the whole process of circulation - is to make a decision that any time you come into contact with anyone, you will give them something. It doesn’t have to be in the form of material things; it could be a flower, a compliment, or a prayer. In fact, the most powerful forms of giving are non-material. The gifts of caring, attention, affection, appreciation, and love are some of the most precious gifts you can give, and they don’t cost you anything.

When you meet someone, you can silently send them a blessing, wishing them happiness, joy, and laughter. This kind of silent giving is very powerful.

One of the things I was taught as a child, and which I taught my children also, is never to go to anyone’s house without bringing something, never visit anyone without bringing them a gift. You may say, “How can I give to others when at the moment I don’t have enough myself?”

You can bring a flower. One flower. You can bring a note or a card which says something about your feelings for the person you’re visiting. You can bring a compliment. You can bring a prayer.

Make a decision to give wherever you go, to whomever you see. As long as you’re giving, you will be receiving. The more you give, the more confidence you will gain in the miraculous effects of this law. And as you receive more, your ability to give more will also increase.

- Deepak Chopra

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

God’s help and our part




Master and disciple are walking through the deserts of Arabia. The Master uses each moment of the journey to teach his disciple about faith.

“Entrust your things to God,” he said. “Because He never abandons His children.”

When they camped down at night, the Master asked the disciple to tie the horses to a nearby rock. The disciple went over to the rock, but then remembered what he had learned that afternoon. “The Master must be testing me. The truth is that I should entrust the horses to God." And he left the horses loose.

In the morning he discovered that the animals had run off. Indignant, he sought out the Master.

“You know nothing about God! Yesterday I learned that I should trust blindly in Providence, so I gave the horses to Him to guard, and the animals have disappeared!”

“God wanted to look after the horses,” answered the Master. “But at that moment he needed your hands to tie them up and you did not lend them to Him.”

Very often we are like the disciple. We entrust the work to God and believe Him to do it. But we forget our part in the deal. Mere belief in God is not enough if we are not doing our part. Let us believe in God and let us do our part of work. God will be with us in each step and with the help of God we will be able to achieve our goal successfully.

- N.GANESHAN

Monday, September 13, 2010

To A Young Man:


We limit ourselves by our limited thinking. We define ourselves as unworthy and when our definition becomes true we lose our heart. We think great people are special ones. We don’t think ourselves as special. So we remain mediocre in our life. In this beautiful poem Edgar A. Guest reminds us that the great people were once like us and he goes on explaining how they rose to greatness. Read and realize your real worth – your real greatness.

- N.Ganeshan



To A Young Man:

The great were once as you.
They whom men magnify to-day
Once groped and blundered on life's way,
Were fearful of themselves, and thought
By magic was men's greatness wrought.
They feared to try what they could do;
Yet Fame hath crowned with her success
The selfsame gifts that you possess.

The great were young as you,
Dreaming the very dreams you hold,
Longing yet fearing to be bold,
Doubting that they themselves possessed
The strength and skill for every test,
Uncertain of the truths they knew,
Not sure that they could stand to fate
With all the courage of the great.

Then came a day when they
Their first bold venture made,
Scorning to cry for aid.
They dared to stand to fight alone,
Took up the gauntlet life had thrown,
Charged full-front to the fray,
Mastered their fear of self, and then,
Learned that our great men are but men.

Oh, youth, go forth and do!
You, too, to fame may rise;
You can be strong and wise.
Stand up to life and play the man--
You can if you'll but think you can;
The great were once as you.
You envy them their proud success?
'Twas won with gifts that you possess.

- Edgar A. Guest

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR FEARS?



Fear is a common problem from which none of us is immune. Fear is very much a part of life. It is a natural emotion. We rightly fear driving through a red light or riding with a reckless or intoxicated driver. In right amounts, fear is a strong motivator, a self-protective survival factor. This kind of fear often acts as nature’s warning signal.

On the other hand, fear becomes a problem when it is irrational. Imagined fears are not healthy. When our fear is basically in our heads, it can be unreasonable and paralyzing. Imagined fears need to be examined very closely. Is what you consider a reasonable fear really a rationalization or an excuse for not trying. Do these sound familiar? “I’m too old to do something new.” “It will take too long.” “I won’t be any good at it.” “People will laugh.”

Most imagined fears are outcome-based—in other words, the source of the fear is attached to an end result or how things may turn out. Two of our most common fears—of rejection and failure—are both are deeply connected to an outcome. However, if you spend all your time fearing an unknown outcome, you will never move forward. When you detach from the outcome you release the fear and give yourself the opportunity to enjoy the process.

In any venture or undertaking, there is risk of failure. Many people have never failed in their lives, simply because they have never tried anything extraordinary. Are you aware that people who are considered "highly successful" only succeed 60% of the time? That holds true in sports or business.

For example, a baseball player who bats 400 in a season would undoubtedly win a league batting title. However, if you examine that carefully, it means that he only gets 4 hits out of 10 times at bat -- in other words, he fails 6 out of 10 times! In business, if 60% of your decisions are correct, you will be extremely rich and successful.

The question is, how do we overcome our fears?

If your fear is real and valid, then understand its source and create a plan to deal with it. Accept your situation but take whatever steps you can to change the circumstances that cause your fear.

If your fears are imaginary, acknowledge this and refuse to believe them. Get facts before jumping to conclusions. Remember, what the mind dwells on, it will eventually believe and act on. Refuse to dwell on fearful thoughts.

Don't allow your fears to control you. It's okay and normal to be scared out of your socks at times. However, it's immature to allow your feelings to control your actions. You can control your actions regardless of your feelings. It's not always easy but it is a choice we all have!

Make a commitment to practice dropping and/or ignoring most of your negative, fearful thoughts and worry. Gently but firmly push them away. As they return, push them away again. With a little practice you’ll find life is a lot more fun without them.

Above all, learn to trust in God. There is no greater way to overcome fear. And this is a choice we all can make. The Bible says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."

Trusting God is not a copout or an excuse for avoiding personal responsibility for our well-being. Trusting God is knowing that no matter what happens, God will bring good out of it if we do what we need to do and trust the rest to him.

Remember the golden words of Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first inaugural address “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

- N.GANESHAN

Monday, August 30, 2010

You Learn




We learn great truths by living only. Some people learn early. Some people learn late. But if we learn the lessons early, the rest of our life will surely be different. A poet who learnt his lessons tells beautifully about them. Read the poem and think deeply.....

N.Ganeshan


You Learn

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn...
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...

That you really are strong

And you really do have worth...

And you learn and learn...

With every good-bye you learn.


- Veronica A. Shoffstall

Thursday, August 12, 2010

POWER OF MIND




Hidden beneath the core of the conscious mind, there lie the prodigious powers of the unconscious mind. Activation of the subtle centers in the brain and the endocrine system helps expression of the miraculous powers of the inner mind and manifestation of its extrasensory faculties in the gross world. Clairvoyance, precognition, knowledge of the hidden or the unseen, realization of the distant past or the future as happening in the present, extrasensory perceptions beyond the barriers of space-time constraints, are among the much talked of supernatural experiences. Vivekananda spoke his own experiences in this field in his his talk delivered at Los Angeles on January 8, 1900. Please read in his own words.

-N.Ganeshan


Excerpts from his talk delivered at Los Angeles on January 8, 1900:


All over the world there has been the belief in the supernatural throughout the ages. All of us have heard of extraordinary happenings, and many of us have had some personal experience of them. I would rather introduce the subject by telling you certain facts, which have come within my own experience. I once heard of a man who, if anyone went to him with questions in his mind, would answer them immediately; and I was also informed that he foretold events. I was curious, and went to see him with a few friends. We each had something in our minds to ask, and, to avoid mistakes, we wrote down our questions and put them in our pockets. As soon as the man saw one of us, he repeated our question and gave answers to them. Them he wrote something on paper, which he folded up, asked me to sign on the back, and said, "Don't look at it; put it in your pocket, and keep it there till I ask for it again." And so on to each one of us. He next told us about some events that would happen to us in the future.

Then he said, "Now, think of a word or sentence, from any language you like." I thought of a long sentence from Sanskrit, a language of which he was entirely ignorant. "Now take out the paper from your pocket," he said. The Sanskrit sentence was written there! He had written it an hour before with the remark, "In confirmation of what I have written, this man will think of this sentence." It was correct. Another of us who had been given a similar paper, which he had signed and placed in his pocket, was also asked to think of a sentence. He thought of a sentence in Arabic, which it was still less possible for the man to know; it was some passage from the Koran. And my friend found this written down on the paper.

Another of us was a physician. He thought of a sentence from a German medical book. It was written on his paper. Several days later I went to this man again, thinking possibly I had been deluded somehow before. I took other friends, and on this occasion also he came out wonderfully triumphant.

Another time I was in the city of Hyderabad in India, and I was told of a Brahmin there, who could produce numbers of things from where, nobody knew. This man was in business there; he was a respectable gentleman. And I asked him to show me his tricks. It so happened that this man had a fever; and in India there is a general
belief that if a holy man puts his hand on a sick man he would be well.

This Brahmin came to me and said, "Sir, put your hand on my head, so that my fever may be cured." I said, "Very good; but you show me your tricks." He promised. I put my hand on his head as desired; and later, he came to fulfill his promise. He had only a strip of cloth about his loins, we took off everything else from him. I had a blanket, which I gave him to wrap round himself, because it was cold, and made him sit in a corner. Twenty-five pairs of eyes were looking at him. And he said, "Now, look, write down anything you want." We all wrote down names of fruits that never grew in that country, bunches of grapes, oranges and so on. And we gave him those bits of paper. And there came from under his blanket, bushels of grapes, oranges, and so forth, so much that if all that fruit was weighed, it would have been twice as heavy as the man. He asked us to eat the fruit. Some of us objected, thinking it was hypnotism; but the man began eating himself—so we all ate. It was all right. He ended by producing a mass of roses. Each flower was perfect, with dewdrops on the petals, not one crushed, not one injured. And masses of them! When I asked the man for an explanation, he said, "It is all sleight of hand."

Whatever it was, it seemed to be impossible that it could be sleight of hand merely. From whence could he have got such large quantities of things? Well, I saw many things like that.

STUDY OF THE MIND
There is no end to the power a man can obtain. This is the peculiarity of the Indian mind, that when anything interests it, it gets absorbed in it and other things are neglected. You know how many sciences had their origin in India. Mathematics began there. You are even today counting 1,2,3 etc. to zero, after Sanskrit figures, and you all know that algebra also originated in India, and that gravitation was known to the Indians thousands of years before Newton was born.

You see the peculiarity. At a certain period of Indian history, this one subject of man and his mind absorbed all their interest. And it was so enticing, because it seemed the easiest way to achieve their ends. Now, the Indian mind became so thoroughly persuaded that the mind could do anything and everything according to law, that its powers became the great object of study. Charms, magic and other powers, and all that were nothing extraordinary, but a regularly taught science, just as the physical sciences they had taught before that. Such a conviction in these things came upon the race that physical sciences nearly died out. It was the one thing that came before them. Different sects of yogis began to make all sorts of experiments. Some made experiments with light, trying to find out how lights of different colors produced changes in the body. They wore a certain colored cloth, lived under a certain color, and ate certain colored foods. All sorts of experiments were made in this way. Others made experiments in sound by stopping and unstopping their ears. Yet others experimented in the sense of smell, and so on.

A SCIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
If this is true, it is temptation enough for the mind to exert its highest. But as with every other science it is very difficult to make any great achievement, so also with this, nay much more. Yet most people think that these powers can be easily gained. How many are the years you take to make a fortune? Think of that! First, how many years do you take to learn electrical science or engineering? And then you have to work all the rest of your life.

Again, most of the other sciences deal with things that do not move, that are fixed. You can analyze the chair, the chair does not fly from you. But this science deals with the mind, which moves all the time; the moment you want to study it, it slips. Now the mind is in one mood, the next moment, perhaps, it is different, changing, changing all the time. In the midst of all this change it has to be studied, understood, grasped, and controlled. How much more difficult, then, is this science! It requires rigorous training.

People ask me why I do not give them practical lessons. Why, it is no joke. I stand upon this platform talking to you and you go home and find no benefit; nor do I. Then you say, "It is all bosh." It is because you wanted to make a bosh of if. I know very little of this science, but the little that I gained I worked for thirty years of my life, and for six years I have been telling people the little that I know. It took me thirty years to learn it; thirty years of hard struggle. Sometimes I worked at it twenty hours during the twenty-four; sometimes I slept only one hour in the night; sometimes I worked whole nights; sometimes I lived in places where there was hardly a sound, hardly a breath; sometimes I had to live in caves. Think of that. And yet I know little or nothing; I have barely touched the hem of the garment of this science. But I can understand that it is true and vast and wonderful.

Now, if there is any one amongst you who really wants to study this science, he will have to start with that sort of determination, the same as, nay even more than, that which he puts into any business of life.

And what an amount of attention does business require, and what a rigorous taskmaster it is! Even if the father, the mother, the wife, or the child dies, business cannot stop! Even if the heart is breaking, we still have to go to our place of business, when every hour of work is a pang. That is business, and we think that it is just, that it is right.

This science calls for more application than any business can ever require. Many men can succeed in business; very few in this. Because so much depends upon the particular constitution of the person studying it. As in business all may not make a fortune, but everyone can make something, so in the study of this science each one can get a glimpse, which will convince him of its truth and of the fact that there have been men who realized it fully.

This is the outline of the science. It stands upon its own feet and in its own light, and challenges comparison with any other science. There have been charlatans, there have been magicians, there have been cheats, and more here than in any other field. Why? For the same reason, that the more profitable the business, the greater the number of charlatans and cheats. But that is no reason why the business should not be good. And one thing more; it may be good intellectual gymnastics to listen to all the arguments and an intellectual satisfaction to hear of wonderful things. But, if any one of you really wants to learn something beyond that, merely attending lectures will not do. That cannot be taught in lectures, for it is life; and life can only convey life.

-Swami Vivekananda

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Alpha State and Meditation




Since the invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in the beginning of 20th century, scientists have been able to measure the electrical activity of the brain. Our brain pulses and vibrates like everything in this Universe.

The brain pulse is measured like sound in cycles per second or Hertz. Brainwaves are categorized in 4 categories : Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Beta:
Your normal waking state, which is characterized by brain rhythms of 14 cycles per second and above,. In this state your mind activity is a veritable can of worms. The higher the brain activity becomes, the greater the stress factor.

Alpha:
A very relaxed state of mind, characterized by brain rhythms of between 8 and 13 cycles per second. In this state of mind you are relaxed, somewhere halfway between being fully awake and asleep. Dreaming and daydreaming occur in the alpha state.

Theta:

Usually the state of sleep, when not dreaming. Characterized by brain rhythms of between 4 to 7 cycles per second. The theta level is also reached in very deep forms of meditation where consciousness becomes separate from mind and body.

Delta:
Very deep sleep or coma, characterized by a brain rhythm of between below 4 cycles per second.

Among the above states alpha state is considered to be the most useful to worldly man. As one expert said, “However it is achieved, the therapeutic benefits are similar. When in the alpha state, one is lifted to a place inside where there is peace and order, where all is well and makes sense. When the human system is relaxed, the natural harmony in consciousness can take over, and the inner light can put things in place.”

Noted physiologists of USA, Dr. W. Penfield and Dr. H. H. Gasper have highlighted the interconnection of cosmic (thought) waves and human mind in their book on “Epilepsy and the Functional Anatomy of the Human Brain”. They have mentioned about the specific nature of the great brains of our times. As per their reports, Albert Einstein’s brain used to continuously emit alpha waves even when he was deeply engrossed in solving complicated problems of mathematics or was asleep…. It may be noted the alpha waves are emitted in a state of sharp alertness of the mind. Thus, despite being engaged in the work at hand, or in deep thinking, Einstein’s mind used to be always prepared and receptive to the cosmic signals of compatible ideospheres.”

Relaxation and meditation help us to enter alpha state effectively.

Here are two simple meditation techniques that you can learn and use right away:

Counting Breaths Meditation

This is simply a meditation to focus on the rhythm of your breath by counting your in and out breath. It is very easy to do, and at first your mind will start wandering around. Do not worry about it. It is quite natural. Just gently acknowledge that and shift your mind back into counting your breath again. With time, your mind will slow down and will stop wandering slowly.

1. Sit down, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Be aware of every breathing in and breathing out.
2. Do not try to control your breathing, or try to slow it down forcefully. Just breath automatically, freely and pay attention to the air passing through your nose, lungs and goes out again.
3. After a few breaths, start counting.
4. Breathing in, one.........breathing out ,two........breathing in, three........breathing out, four... breathing in, five..... breathing out, six
5. Should you find yourself thinking of something else instead of your breathing, just acknowledge it, and return to your breathing, and start counting again
6. Now notice the sensations of your breathing. The depth, the speed, see if your breathing becomes increasingly slower and quieter, if your breathing more and more goes to your stomach or your chest, if your body becomes more relaxed through your breathing, ...etc. Try to notice this as an outsider, without stopping from counting. If you cannot, then just go back to counting
7. Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out, etc.
8. If at any time you notice any strange feelings in your body, like twinklings, or muscle reactions, just notice that, it is quite normal. Go back to your breathing
9. Once you got to 100, slowly return to normal, open your eyes, take in everything you see in the room, get up from the chair, stretch your muscles.

Flame meditation

In this meditation, you will focus on a candle flame or lamp flame.
Turn off the lights, making sure that you still have some light entering the room, so you have the room in semi-dark. You will light a candle or lamp and position it at a level when you can look at the flame without any strains. Try not to think of the flame or the candle. Every time we wander away in our thoughts we return to the candle-flame without judging. Instead of a candle you can also choose an apple, a flower or any other object as your object of meditation.

1. Have the candle or lamp at eye level so you can see the flame easily
2. Sit down, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing, just as in the first meditation technique mentioned above
3. Be aware of each breathing in and each breathing out.
4. After taking a few breaths, open your eyes and focus all your attention to the flame.
5. Breathe deeply and steadily and stare at the flame. Don't think about the candle, the flame, or anything else. If your mind wanders away, just return it gently to the flame.
6. Breathe deeply and steadily and stare at the flame.
7. Continue simply focusing on the candle or lamp for the period of time you had set apart for this meditation exercise.
8. You can now close your eyes and try to see the object at the inside of your eyelids.
9. Try to visualise the flame as long as you can, but don't strain yourself.
10. When the time is up (about 20 minutes is ideal), just take back your thoughts slowly to the environment around you, open your eyes, stretch your legs, and just be aware of the here and the now.

-N.Ganeshan

Monday, July 19, 2010

The Desiderata




Some advices are lengthy and complex. Some are simple and practical. Max Ehrmann's "The Desiderata" fits into the second category. His words are wise and thought provoking. Please read and try to follow the same. You will find peace and success in your life.

N.Ganeshan


The Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself to others you may be become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your career however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortune of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you from what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself, especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture the strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be; and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

- Max Ehrmann, 1927

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

A Costly Lesson



(Humourous article)

I could never forget the fateful day. It was a April fools day. Gopi, a co-worker of mine, came to me with visible hesitation. He opened his mouth but words did not come out. He did not tell anything for a few minutes. Then he said shyly, “Sir, can you give me Rs.5000/-. I’ll return the money with interest next Wednesday” I could see trace of tears in his eyes.

I knew him only for six months. He was always polite and well behaved. I considered myself to be a good judge of people. I judged him favourably and said, “I’ll give you the money. There is no need for interest”.

He said firmly, “Sorry sir. I won’t take money free of interest. I’ll accept money only on interest @18%”

I knew he was different. I did not want to receive interest for one week period. But he was very firm on his stand. Finally I agreed and lent him Rs.5000/-

Many Wednesdays passed since. It seemed to me he forgot about the money he received. He rarely came near me. Three months later I reminded him about the money.

He asked with vague expression on his face, “What money”

I was stunned. “The money Rs.5000/- I gave you in April…”

His face cleared. “Oh…. that money”

I expected him to say something. But he remained quiet.

So I said, “You promised me to repay the money with interest within a week”

“Yes…yes… I remember. I agreed to pay you 18% interest also”

I was relieved to hear about his memory. “Yes”

“Because of unexpected expenses I couldn’t repay. Don’t worry. I’ll repay with interest”

“When?”

“Next month”

Many months passed. But I did not receive money from him. He always kept his distance from me. As the necessity of getting back the money was mine, I approached him one day. “Gopi”

Without taking his eyes from the computer he said, “Yes”

“My money 5000/-“

Again I saw the vague expression in his face. I could feel my heartbeat accelerate.

He did not say anything for sometime and continued his work on computer.

I said “I am in urgent need of money”

Finishing his work he looked at me thoughtfully. “I know some people who lend money….”

I was seething with a wave of helpless anger. “I want MY money back….”

“Oh….that 5000/-…I’ll repay it with interest next month.”

“I don’t want interest. I’ll be happy if you pay the principal amount”

“No. Though the rate of interest 18% is high, I’ll pay it as agreed. Excuse me…” He hurried to answer the ringing telephone.

Again many months passed. Gopi did not repay the money.

Before mentally writing off the amount I made a final attempt and asked him the money.

He said curtly “See, I promised you to repay the money with 18% interest. I’ll repay you when I get money. You need not ask me at all”

“When will you get money?”

“When I sell my land”

“When will you sell your land?”

“I am ready to sell now itself. If I receive a good offer I’ll sell immediately and repay your money with interest.”

“Where is your land?”

“It is in our native village. Of course it is our joint property. The offer must satisfy my brothers also. One of my brothers is very greedy….”

Controlling my rage I said, “I don’t want my money. Keep it yourself.”

“I am not a beggar. I don’t need anybody’s money. I’ll repay it with full interest…”

”Oh, my God”

He said coolly “You don’t understand me”

“I’m beginning to”

To avoid murdering him on the spot I moved away. To retain, no, to regain my sanity I stopped talking to him.

- N.Ganeshan

Friday, July 2, 2010

In Devil's Service




Today devils use religions to fulfill their purposes. Real meaning and purpose of religions are lost to the masses. How does it happen? Osho explains it beautifully in the following passages. Read and think.

N.Ganeshan


In Devil's Service

Even a man like Buddha contemplated for seven days before uttering a single word. When he attained to enlightenment for seven days he remained utterly silent. wavering whether to say anything or not. The question was: Those who cannot understand, what is the point of saying to them such profound insights? They will misunderstand, they will misinterpret, they w ill do harm to the message. Rather than allowing the message to heal them they will wound the message itself – they will manipulate the message according to their minds, prejudices. Is it right to allow the message to be polluted by foolish people, by mediocre people, by stupid people?

Buddha was hesitant, very hesitant. Yes, he also thought of the few people who would be able to understand it, but then he could see that ”Those people who will be able to understand my words will be able to find truth on their own because they cannot be ordinary people, they will be superintelligent people, only then will they be able to understand what I am saying to them. If they can understand my words they will be able to find their own way, they will be able to reach the truth on their own, so why bother about them? Maybe it will take a little longer for them. So what? – because there is eternity, time is not short. But the message, once it gets into the wrong hands, will be corrupted forever.” Even to utter he was hesitant.

Because when you say something to people, if they are stupid people, they are bound
to forget it very soon. If they are mediocre people they will not bother even to listen; they won’t care. But once it is written down then they will read it, study it; then it will become part of their schools, colleges and universities, and stupid scholars will ponder over it and they will write great scholarly treatises on it. People who know nothing will be talking about it for centuries and the truth will be lost in all that noise that scholars make – they will argue for and against.

It is said that once a disciple of the devil came running to him and he said, ”What are you doing sitting here under this tree? Have you not heard? – one man has found truth! We have to do something, and urgently, because if this man has found truth our very existence is in danger, our very profession is in danger. He can cut our very roots!”

The old devil laughed. He said, ”Calm down, please. You are new, that’s why you are so disturbed by it. Don’t be worried. I have got my people, they have already started working.”

The disciple asked, ”But I have not seen any of our people there.”

The devil said, ”I work in many ways. Scholars are there, pundits are there, philosophers are there, theologians are there. Don’t be worried. They will make so much noise for and against, they will create so much argumentation that the still small voice of truth will be silenced by them. We need not worry. These scholars and pundits and these professors are my people: I work through them – they are in my service, they are my secret agents. Don’t be worried. You may not have seen my well-known disciples there because I cannot go directly, I have to go in disguise. And I have arrived there and my people have started working – they have surrounded the person. He cannot do any harm. And soon he will be dead – he is old – and then my people will be his apostles, his priests, and they will manage the whole affair.”

The so-called great scholars who go on and on with logic-chopping, hair-splitting arguments are in the service of the devil, not in the service of God. Once you write down something you are giving a chance to these people; they will jump upon the opportunity, they won’t miss the opportunity. They will mess the whole thing up, they will create great confusion around it. That is their expertise.

- OSHO

Sunday, June 27, 2010

AKASHIC RECORDS



Edgar Cayce is one of the most amazing men in American history. Born in Hopkinsville, he died in his sixties in 1945, in Virginia. At an early age he discovered that he could put himself into a trance-like sleep at will. In this condition he could answer any question on the subject of medicine. Although his education was little, and he was often described as illiterate, the answers given to questions were yet couched in technical terms unknown to his conscious mind.
Politicians, businessmen, scientists, priests, all visited him to see how he could help them while he was asleep. For the sick, he would prescribe drugs not yet on the market, but being released, or those of men long dead and obscure. Once, when working with a number of doctors, he prescribed a medicine none of them had heard of, or could find listed. They advertised in a medical journal seeking its prescription, but meanwhile asked Cayce to describe it while in trance. Later a letter arrived from France, from a practising doctor. It said that no wonder they could not find the preparation, it had been invented by the man’s father, and never published. However, the enclosed details tallied exactly with those Cayce gave in trance.

First a hospital, then a large association, grew up around Edgar Cayce’s work. His life was spent helping the sick, and throwing light upon the mystery of life. His “readings” have now been collected, and are investigated by doctors, psychiatrists, priests, and thousands of laymen. Certainly his life demonstrated man’s emergence from the Timeless and Eternal.

When he entered the trance-like state he was no longer limited to the confines of space or time and was able to make available to himself higher levels of consciousness. He could view the akashic records. It was a talent which would enable him to access insights into virtually anything imaginable.

The Edgar Cayce readings suggest that each of us writes the story of our lives through our thoughts, our deeds, and our interactions with the rest of creation. This information has an effect upon us in the here and now. In fact, the Akashic Records have such an impact upon our lives and the potentials and probabilities we draw toward us that any exploration of them cannot help but provide us with insights into the nature of ourselves and our relationship to the universe.

Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning "sky", "space" or "ether. Akashic Records are a kind of library or database. All forms of energetic flux are recorded, and as thought as well as emotion and action are forms of energy, these, too, are recorded. The Akashic Records stored or housed Universal Mind are a permanent record of everything that has ever been said, thought, and done. One who is able to access this inner, Universal library of mind has before him an accurate history and universal knowledge. The Akashic Records and Universal Mind have also been referred to at various times and places as the Hall of Records, Hall of Knowledge, and by the phrase, "In my father's house are many mansions."

There is much more to our lives, our histories, and our individual influence upon our tomorrows than we have perhaps dared to imagine. By accessing information from the Akashic Records, the universe's computer database, much might be revealed to us. The world as we have collectively perceived it is but a faint shadow of Reality.

Many think the Akashic records make clairvoyance and psychic perception possible. It is believed by some that the events recorded upon that Akasha can be ascertained or read in certain states of consciousness. Such states of consciousness can be induced by certain stages of sleep, weakness, illness, drugs, and meditation so not only mystics but ordinary people can and do perceive the Akashic records. Some mystics claim to be able to reanimate their contents like they were turning on a celestial television set. Yogis also believe that these records can be perceived in certain psychic states. Certain persons in subconscious states do read the Akashic records.
Any human can become the physical medium for accessing the Records, and that various techniques and spiritual disciplines (e.g., yogic, pranayama, meditation, prayer, visualization) can be employed to achieve the focused state necessary to access the Records. One who meditates regularly, over time, learns to release the conscious mind and to go deeper and deeper within to subconscious mind. There he begins to be able to perceive this Universal Knowledge of Mind and is capable of receiving the Wisdom of the Ages. Instead of being limited in their information and experience to only what is stored in their brain he or she now has an expanded consciousness that is capable of receiving the accumulated knowledge of millions of people over thousands and tens of thousands of years.

- N.Ganeshan

Sunday, June 20, 2010

A LIFETIME GIFT TO YOUR CHILDREN



“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” said W. Somerset Maugham. When there were no televisions or computers, reading was a primary leisure activity. People would spend hours reading books and travel to lands far away-in their minds. While technology is slowly taking a steady control over individual lives, the reading habit is fast vanishing into thin air.

Nowadays though we all want to develop reading habit, time constraints and lack of interest always puts this habit in the back burner. But we need to resurrect this habit for ourselves and our children. If we want to gift our children something real precious then we should think of reading habit. It can be a lifetime gift that our children are going to cherish forever. Despite the deep penetrating reach of the visual media, books have a definite edge over other mediums of communication and entertainment.

Books are good portable friends, which have the potential of engaging a child's mind, They can broaden the sphere of experience. A quick read of the adventures of Sindbad, or Alibaba, or Robin Hood transports the children to different worlds. They can relate to new and thrilling experiences, quite different from everyday happenings. The variety in the book reading is bound to reflect in the children's knowledge.

Child psychologists and counselors have often stressed the importance of the reading habit in modern-day children. Reading sharpens the thought processes of children. It increases their attention span. It gives them the faculty of thinking and understanding. Language is a gift for children and books give this gift in abundance. Reading a book aloud can be a good exercise not just for memorization but also for improvement of speech and vocabulary. Books trigger children's imagination.
It is observed that children and teenagers who love reading have comparatively higher IQs. They are more creative and do better in school and college. It is recommended that teachers and parents to inculcate the importance of reading to children in the early years. The children who start reading from an early age are observed to have good language skills, and they grasp the variances in phonics much better.

Here are some simple suggestions you can use to help your child develop reading skills:

• To stimulate reading, keep a lot of reading materials in your house. This will increase your child's access to books and printed material. Help them understand that reading doesn't only happen at school — it can happen anywhere. Studies suggest that learners who read outside of school are more successful readers and students.

• Make sure that your children observe you reading on a regular basis. When your child sees you reading regularly, it will reinforce the importance of reading.

• Bedtime reading is considered the best quality time spent with a kid. Psychiatrists feel that bedtime reading helps to build strong bonding with the child. Reading aloud helps to build a strong emotional bond between parents and children.

• Reduce your time on TV and internet. Every minute you reduce of internet/TV, you could use for reading. This could create hours of book reading time.

• Recommending or providing right kind of books to children is equally important. Thrusting upon children a book which is of little or no interest to it is a sure way of killing their appetite rather whetting it. Presenting books to children on occasions like birthday, New Year and other festive occasions would also go a long way in creating reading interest in the children.

• Start telling an interesting story to your children and stop in the middle. Don’t finish it. Then give them the book and tell them to read rest of the story from the book. This trick works wonder and develops curiosity in the children.

• As your children become better readers, talk about what they are reading. When they finish a new story or reading assignment, discuss the main ideas, new words and concepts, and your children's favorite section. This will help strengthen your children's reading comprehension skills.

- N.GANESHAN

Friday, June 11, 2010

Thoughts




The value of thoughts are often ignored by us. We waste our time and life in useless thoughts. If thoughts are used properly nothing is impossible for us. The following passages from James Allen's "As you thinketh" are really powerful and inspirational. Read and remember his message. You may be saved.

N Ganeshan


Thoughts


The aphorism, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those which are deliberately executed.

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are
By thought we wrought and built. If a man's mind
Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
The wheel the ox behind . . . If one endure in purity
of thought joy follows him as his own shadow - sure.

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.

Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.

Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this - that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.

As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and experience.

Only by much searching and mining are gold an diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul. And that he is the maker of his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove: if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances; if he will link cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened"; for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.

- James Allen