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On Jun 19, 2014 Ganoba wrote on The Secret Of Work, by Swami Vivekananda:
1. Work with the spirit of service, Let "How best can I serve the community where I work" be the motto. You will be well rewarded by the community. have no doubt about it.
2. Work to learn. Be always open to learning. Work not as an expert, as the know all. This attitude alienates people.
In fact 1 and 2 go hand in hand.
All the best.
On Mar 31, 2014 Ganoba wrote on Should We Spend Time Like Money?, by Stefan Klein:
Some random thoughts.
Money by itself has no values. Making money, accumulating it or spending it are value less activities in themselves. Value is added when it flows. A thriving business would pay attention to cash flow.
Money represents resources; external resources like land, machinery, technology etc. and internal resources like human potential. These add value when they are managed well that is when they are utilized in a productive way.
Time is not like money or like any of the other things. Time is. It is an existential truth. We are so caught p with objects and activities that we do not understand it at all, just as we do not understand the value of being silent and still and being playful. Time is an immeasurable. It is not an object that travels, fast or slow.
On Mar 26, 2014 Ganoba wrote on Are You Bored Yet?, by Karen Maezen Miller:
It is natural for the mind to seek the fresh and new. That is the way creation is, always fresh and new. Nothing is repeated in nature.
However, when we hold the mind as a private possession, as my mind and your mind, it becomes aggressive and dull over a period of time. It cannot notice the beauty that is emerging every moment and it gets bored.
The real and lasting solution is to revitalize the mind. But we seek a transient solution of trying out a new location, a new friend, a new activity and so on. We have gotten into this habit of seeking pseudo solutions. Let us stop this right now and go back to basics. Let us this very moment be part of the emerging new in all of us.
On Mar 19, 2014 Ganoba wrote on Practice Without Integration is a Waste, by Krishna Das:
Practice is action, not intellectual discussion of a topic. For practice to lead to learning it needs to be experimental. In experimental practice we are not looking for a definite outcome. Observation/mindfulness is an essential part of experimentation, observing what is being done and the consequences there of both within us and outside. This needs to be done playfully. We need to do it in different settings. This allows the learning to go beyond a fixed space-time box and becomes universally applicable. This also allows it to get integrated and internalized. Subsequent action would then become automatic not a matter of cultural choice making.
This how I practice and it has carried me forward on the spiritual path smoothly.
On Mar 11, 2014 ganoba wrote on Seeing Fully, by Ajahn Brahm:
this story is not worth following. what kind of a monk is this guy, holding onto judgments of good-bad for years and trying to hide them from others? The lay visitor seems more enlightened than him. his earlier training as a scientist and the points of view picked up then are still controlling his mind.
On Jan 31, 2014 Ganoba wrote on Fearlessness can Coexist with Fear, by Gil Fronsdal:
Fear gets an entry where ignorance exists. Fear goes with awareness. If we observe fear and not run away from it, we will notice its message, Fear indicates that we are entering a new situation and we need to deal with it in a new way. old methods will not do. They will get us into trouble. So fearlessness is really being fully aware, being fully present.
On Jan 21, 2014 Ganoba wrote on Deep Inquiry: Not for the Faint of Heart, by Gangaji:
I don't like the word inquiry. We just observe with a blank mind, no theories, no reference points, no expectations of a particular outcome. Just a child like wonder.
For that to happen we need to say namaste to not only Gangaji but all the scriptures. A tough call in deed.
On Jan 4, 2014 Ganoba wrote on Honoring the Gill Inside You, by Mark Nepo:
Me, all of me. Life became a fun adventure when I started taking myself as an harmonious whole, fully attuned with the environment. With this I started accepting, even celebrating, all that was served on my plate. I started to see the value of everything irrespective of its size, shape and color. Now it is love all the way.
On Nov 26, 2013 Ganoba wrote on Art And The Practice Of Being Yourself, by Stanley Kunitz:
There can be no art without being true to oneself.
Immitation may be entertaining but is not art.
On Nov 20, 2013 Ganoba wrote on Is It Really Worth It?, by Patty De Llosa:
My answer is an unequivocal YES.
The question arises because most of us live in a closed space called tradition, culture, home, comfort zone etc. We sometimes venture out of this space but carry our protective space suit, our own psychological bubble while interacting with the world. From the safety of our home we sometimes look at the world outside through a narrow window. Naturally we have a very distorted view of the world and our place in it. We do not understand the true significance and worth of much that we see. Our knowledge is based on a bit of observation and a lot of conjecture. From this position most options would appear to be worthless.
Let us drop the protective suit and stand naked in front of our mother, the world.
On Nov 20, 2013 Ganoba wrote on Is It Really Worth It?, by Patty De Llosa:
My answer is an unequivocal YES.
The question arises because most of us live in a closed space called tradition, culture, home, comfort zone etc. We sometimes venture out of this space but carry our protective space suit, our own psychological bubble while interacting with the world. From the safety of our home we sometimes look at the world outside through a narrow window. Naturally we have a very distorted view of the world and our place in it. We do not understand the true significance and worth of much that we see. Our knowledge is based on a bit of observation and a lot of conjecture. From this position most options would appear to be worthless.
Let us drop the protective suit and stand naked in front of our mother, the world.
On Nov 20, 2013 Ganoba wrote on Why Do We Shout In Anger?, by Unknown:
Yes, it is energy. Nothing can happen without the play of energy. It is, however, necessary to understand it and to develop the necessary skills to be able to use it creatively. This is true about the energy of love as it is about the energy of anger. For example a laser in the hands of a skilled ophthalmologist is used for a delicate cataract operation. In the hands of a novice it will cause blindness. Electrical current at 110 volts is of immense use but at 440 volts can be lethal. There is a lot that we need to learn about the use of our power. As a first step we need to clear the slate (our mind) of all the hear say and the mumbo jumbo about being human and civilized and cultured and so on.
On Nov 5, 2013 Ganoba wrote on Reaching Underneath Our Protective Shell, by Pema Chodron:
why do we need to protect ourselves from the others?
This tendency begins with the superficial notion that we are separate from the others. having accepted this mistaken notion we distance ourselves from them. This distance produces misconceptions and then fear. This sets up a vicious cycle of fear and suspicion. building a protective shell is then the wise thing to do.
How do we get out of this trap?
If for a change we look inwards at the effect this defensive strategy has on us, we will realise the enormous damage it is causing our wellness. Removing or dismantling the shell then becomes the obvious wise thing to do.
We then set ourselves free.
On Oct 24, 2013 Ganoba wrote on Do we Use Thought, or Does Thought Use us?, by Dada:
For a long time now, I have stopped thinking. Thoughts/ideas come when there is a need to move on. They are in the form of suggestions and there is no compulsion to act associated with them.
The mind is now like the sky, not a Pandora's box.
Thoughts float across the mind like clouds. They do not effect the quality of the mind. They do their job and then go.
Life is beautiful and harmonious.
On Oct 22, 2013 Ganoba wrote on A Guide To Life's Turning Points, by Brian Browne-Walker:
Life is a continuous process. This is obvious when we observe continuously, all the time, in all situations.
Since our observing is off and on, life appears to be a batch process. Then there would be shocks and challenges and closed doors and so on.
Just be observant and aware all the time. Be mind full. That's all.
Life is an automatic, self regulating process.
It is on auto-pilot.
On Oct 16, 2013 ganoba wrote on To Have Without Holding, by Marge Piercy:
when love is grounded in the body, is of the body then it is passion. All the laws of the perishable body then apply to it. When it is of the mind then it flows like water or the wind. It cannot hurt. When .it is of the soul then it is divine
On Sep 30, 2013 ganoba wrote on The Committee of the Mind, by Thanissaro Bhikku:
I like the two metaphors. Mind as a disjointed crowd with each member pushing its own agenda.
Meditation helps the members to realise that they are members of the same family.
The other metaphor of distillation of sea water is also very illustrative of the process of meditation.
On Aug 16, 2013 Ganoba wrote on True Meditation Has No Direction, by Adyashanti:
When we try to define anything, that is try to put it in words, we miss its essence. We are left with its dry shell.
This what happens to meditation.
We can neither meditate nor define it.
Meditation/Dhyan happens when we become like a statue for a while, doing nothing, not even observing.
We then come to realise what is happening, why is it happening, who is making it happen. All this is so very personal. All generalisation are a crude mockery.
All that I am saying may be complete nonsense.
On Aug 14, 2013 Ganoba wrote on What Do I Really Need Right Now?, by Sharon Salzberg:
truth Love, happiness (annand) , beauty, creativity etc that we seek out there are actually aspects of our being. They are to be lived not sought.
having realised this i try to be true to myself. i follow my intuition, be guided by my mind.
that is it. As simple as that.
On Jun 24, 2014 Ganoba wrote on The Order on the Other Side of Chaos, by Margaret Wheatley:
chaos and confusion is experienced only when we do not move on with the flow of time. the universe is constantly renewing itself. When we accept this and notice the subtle changes taking place then we would be filled with awe and wonder not fear and uncertainty. The way to be happy is to be in sync with the ever alive present.