ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF PRESENT

Two children were playing a game. They were fighting due to some misunderstanding. The point of controversy could have affected the result of it. The fighting became fierce and they started manhandling each other causing body injuries.

Elders were sitting there. They tried to pacify the children and tried to convince that they were over-reacting to situation. To get more scores is not so important as to warrant such a tension. But the children were NOT convinced at all.

I was pondering. Don’t we also behave in worldly affairs just like these children? Don’t we give over importance to materialistic achievements and satisfaction of ego? The goal of children was to enjoy the game not the scores. Scores at the cost of friendship was not called for. Scores were bye-products and means to measure only. Our target is to enjoy the life, the precious gift gifted by God and not to have unwarranted tension for wealth and materialistic assets, power and other facilities. If we over-accumulate materialistic assets at the cost of health, mental peace or human relationship, it is of no worth as these accumulations were not our target but means to achieve target. Can we pay its cost by our health? The target was peaceful life with good health and tranquility of mind. If we spoil our present for mad race of satisfaction of selfish motives to such an extent that we go on paying costs in terms these targets itself, we are ultimately losers.

The elders could not convince children that in due course another game would start. There could be numerous succeeding games. Scores in one game was not so important to warrant fierce fighting. Same way, we have taken numerous births and maybe likely to have in future too. Suppose I am in transit to next birth after this life, and if wisdom prevails, I may conclude that I had given undue importance to earning race. Instead I should have relaxed and instead of having angry moments with others, I should have enjoyed each and every moment, the precious gifts of God to their full beauty in good activities and remaining with nature. If I were richer thousand times more during my lifetime, and if during my life, discomfort and mental agony could continuously have been multiplying, I would have been much loser in real sense. As wealth, power etc. were accumulated to get quality of life whereas we earned it by paying cost in terms of quality of life itself.

First, we accumulate wealth at the cost of health by ignoring basic necessities of body and then go to doctors and ask them to restore our health and for it we are ready to pay the acquired wealth. Why not to lead a balanced life from the beginning itself? If you ask senior citizens they will also opine that if they are allowed to rewind their cassette of life, they would definitely give less importance to materialistic gains and would try to relish the life being tuned in nature.

Do not remain in mad race of accumulation. Enjoy the beauty of present particularly in good activities and in tuning with nature.

When you are offended?

One of my cyber-friend was much disturbed as someone had offended her. I sent her an email, the gist of which is as under:

The persons who offended you are not mean persons. But they are ignorant. Christianity teaches us wonderful way to overcome these types of situations.
You know when Lord Jesus was going to be crucified, he prayed to God to forgive those people who were crucifying him. And he gave the reason that those people were ignorant persons and cannot understand the situation and they deserve forgiveness. History tells us that those were prominent members of society having above average wisdom and literate enough (according to those days). Even then Lord Jesus treated them ignorant persons. Why?
Because there is difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is communicated to some person and his own PERCEPTION converts it to wisdom. The person concerned reacts according to wisdom acquired. The perception in each person is a God’s gift, it is different in every person and it is as per God’s will. People react to same kind of situation differently because of their different perception. If they could perceive same way they understand each other’s point of view, otherwise not. And if the person, with whom you are reacting, is unable to perceive your angle of view, he is not going to co-operate with you.
Lord Jesus surmised that people crucifying him were ignorant because they could not perceive correct angle of issue so they were forced to react in that pattern by their perception and thus deserve forgiveness.
If some person offends you, and you view the issue in above light, you will not blame that person but will treat his perception accountable for it; you will find him a suitable candidate for granting forgiveness. When we understand it, it is easier for us to forgive that person from our heart. We should pray God to grant him correct wisdom and should relieve our own heart from agony and discomfort.
Again this worldly life is temporary. One day we shall move to empire of God. Why to give over-importance to episodes of this dream-like-life and spoil our health?

The above email worked a lot. Now I share the same with you also.

How to control anger

If we determine to solve a problem, we have to find out its roots. I feel that we get angry with people who are related to us in any way and our expectations from them fail. The more intimate the relationship, the angrier we feel. As such we feel more frustrated from such instances happening in our own families than associates in career or unrelated persons. It is our perception of situation and logics presented by chitta (sub-conscious mind), that makes us react and get irritated, if attitude thrusts us towards that. We feel that our sorrows are due to actions of those particular persons. In fact, we have to understand that the remote control of our sorrows is not, in fact, in the hands of other people.

In fact, we get two types of anger. Number one, internal that is, what our heart felt; number two, our reaction and expression to related person. Health-wise speaking, number two is not so dangerous. Number one internal feeling can have negative effect to any extent in our lives, on our mental tranquility, on our health. It is simply because we conclude that OUR SUCH AND SUCH SORROWS ARE CAUSED BY THAT PERSON. If we understand following facts and ask chitta to accept them honestly, anger will vanish.

We get pleasures and sorrows as per our prarabdh (destiny) as arranged by orders of the God Almighty. These are outcomes of our previous karmas (actions). And these karmas ripen at different intervals of time. We get results of karmas at appropriate times. The persons delivering you pleasures and sorrows are just postmen of that God. You will get what you deserve, not necessarily through those persons whom you had been helping or maltreating. Presently whoever is instrumental in delivering you pleasure or sorrow, will act towards you as per your immediate destiny. NOBODY, IN FACT, CAN BENEFIT US OR CAN DAMAGE US.

Next point is, why are you irritated with your family members or your subordinates? Because they did not obey you (or at least obeyed the same very unwillingly). You concluded, that the pertinent point should be fixed in a particular manner. They donot agree. Now I ask you to honestly judge yourself, as to how much you obey YOURSELF. You know what should be done, you resolve to take specific actions for self-improvement, health, performance of duties etc., but you simply ignore your own resolutions due to laziness, casual approach and on flimsy grounds. What right, do you possess, to get angry with people, who disagree with you?

Next point is, anger strengthens our wrong attitudes and spoils our health, our mental tranquility. We get hypertension, depression, heart diseases and other problems. Can we afford all that? No.

Now what is the solution? Should we forget imposition of discipline in our family members and subordinates and should we surrender before every Tom Dock& Harry?
No. Big No.
I told, there are basically, two faces of anger. Internal and external. This heartfelt internal anger is dangerous and damaging. In your practical life, take stock of position, think out an honest way to monitor the situation, express your views to relevant persons and try to handle the situation tactfully as the situation and your role warrants. Then, whatever is going to happen, let it happen. Silently, watch the drama of God unfold, and at the heart of hearts, do not blame that person accountable for your sorrows. You can and should act in best of your capacity, but results are not in your hands. Yes, your, honest approach, will make your future prarbdh much better and your equipoised mind will save your health.

Expression of external anger can be used, though avoided to handle the situation, but internal anger must be pacified by pondering over the above logics.