Tuesday, March 30, 2010




Will power needs to be developed with discrimination. We should be strong willed with compassion and not by being obstinate. Will power really means having the courage of your convictions. Stubbornness is sticking to your point of view even when disaster is imminent. A strong willed person may stoop to conquer or acknowledge his or her mistake. A sense of justice and fair play are the hallmark of strong will power along with a pragmatic approach to life.

The stubborn will refuse to accept and see reason. The strong willed will understand the need for adjustments and act accordingly.

Ideally proper will power should developed in childhood under the guidance of the parents. As grown ups we should set small goals and seek to fulfill them. The inner satisfaction will make the effort worth while. Try it !!

Loving Truths: Will Power

Loving Truths: Will Power

Sai Astrology,
lubymaa.blogspot.com
Mind Power

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Will Power

It is part of life to face iniquities i.e. injustices, particularly when we feel that we do not deserve them. We lament, 'what have I done to deserve this?' There is no single answer to this question. Sometimes the question itself is futile because we need to concentrate our energies on overcoming the adversity. Life is like the river whcih flows on despite obstructions. We have to learn to swim with the current. What helps us to overcome is the power of the mind.

The mind is powerful if we rid it of negative thoughts. Fears and doubts are the source of negativity. Consciously their entry should be blocked. Just as we turn away unwanted people, fear and doubt should be turned away. A strong will power is needed to do this.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Tight Rope Walk

My Guru who knows all about me has rightly commented that I must practice what I write about. That is the difficult part. That is the tight rope walk of life. Like the person on the rope we need total concentration and a pole to balance our life. Along with these two we need constant practice. We should also be mentally prepared that during practice we are likely to fall.
I think the most important factor is the pole for balance. All of us need to know the pole which helps balance our life. It will vary with each person. For some it can be religion, for another family, yet for some one else it can be the talent of painting, poetry, writing etc. But the underlying factor will be LOVE for the balance of our life.
We must understand that love and not hate balances our life. We need to concentrate and develop love. This becomes possible when we remove negative thoughts and develop the power of the mind. A positive mind alone gives the impetus to rise after a fall.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Balanced Poise


We must learn to tap the laughter and the joy within us. Very often we link our happiness with some one else, which is natural, because we are social beings. But a line needs to be drawn to restrict absorbing negative feelings of others. We must learn not to become a sponge. If we remain unaffected, we can help others better. Our spirit of joy will become a source of strength to those in need.
Remaining unaffected is not easy. It needs constant practice of being alert to what thoughts enter our mind. We have to be careful of our speech also. Living a life of balanced poise helps in remaining calm. A person walking on a tight rope maintains his or her balance with a long pole in both the hands. Life is a tight rope walk.

Monday, March 22, 2010

We are all blessed to experience the joy of the spirit. We experience this joy on recieving unexpected kindness. Our spirit is joyful when we learn to give quietly. It is very easy to sign a cheque for a charitable organisation but it is more difficult to help a neighbour at his or her time of need. We are in the habit of rendering help when it suits us. Sometimes, a smile, a few kind words or controlling our temper is enough for us to connect with another person. Simple acts of kindness are sufficient to give joy to both the giver and the reciever.
It may appear difficult in the beginning. But if we change our mindset and learn to tune in, we will feel inner peace. It becomes easy if we imagine that the person we are helping is someone close to us.

Friday, March 19, 2010

The Joy Of The Spirit

The universe exists and functions on the thirst for momentary pleasure which all species crave for. The desire for love, caring and sharing helps all species to propagate their race. Human beings with their infinitely vast and superior intelligence are no exception. But to be caught in the mire of sensual pleasures throughout one's life is being ignorant of the joys of the spirit.
Unlike other species, we humans are capable experiencing the pleasures of the world and inner bliss. The joy of the spirit can be understood only by experiencing it. It is being happy with your own self. A baby whose basic needs are cared for is happy and playful on its own. The needs of the body have to be fulfilled but beyond that is feeling the universal consciousness with which we are all linked. This consciousness has been termed as God and God has been stifled in the parameters of religion.
We can all feel and often we do feel oneness with this consciousness. When we are half asleep, or feel totally relaxed, when we are content with life as it is-----these and many other moments help us unite with this consciousness and that is when we feel the joy of the spirit. This joy is beyond the senses, unrelated to objects and fills us with calm peace.

Fleeting Joy

What is Joy? Is it being happy on your own, with others, or feeling satisfied with making others miserable? Perhaps it is all three because we are all shades of grey and not black or white. The common quality in all aspects of joy is that it is fleeting and not long lasting. All happiness which is linked to achievement evaporates after some time. The same holds true for malicious pleasure. The only constant is the craving for pleasure. A person's whole life will be spent in sampling and deciding what makes him or her happy. There's no harm in this, so long as another person is not hurt in this process. Happiness and pleasure will vanish after a while but negative feelings of hatred or dislike which are aroused by hurting others will continue.
We have to discriminate whether this momentary pleasure is worth hurting people close to you or not. Careful judgement is needed.
Beyond the manifold experiences of worldly pleasure is understanding the nature of lasting joy.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Pursuit of Joy

The most important aspect of life is knowing our own self. The common thread which binds all living, sentient beings is the craving for peace, happiness and joy. The source of happiness however varies. A dog is contented chewing on a juicy bone, a butterfly hovering on a flower, a person may be happy helping another, yet another's happiness may lie in dancing at a carnival and a third may feel good being mean and nasty. But all the above are unabashedly chasing joy. This is the nature of every one born on earth.
The difference between creatures and human beings is that whereas the former have a solid reason of hunger for destruction, the latter do not. Inspite of superior intelligence, people do not hesitate to trample others in their pusuit of happiness.
Every one survives on a diet of love and joy. The key to happiness is to live and let live.
We should have a clear understanding of the nature of happiness so that we learn not to hurt others.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Image of Our Own Self

The three levels of our personality are revealed only when we think about them deeply. Dissatisfaction with anything can be utilised positively as a goad for revelations about our own self and to progress. It is necessary to have positive image about our capabilities no matter what the difficulties in life. That is the only way to cope with them. Never be bound by the image of what society thinks of you. Self confidence springs from the knowing that we can, all of us, always overcome. At the same time it is wise to know that confidence is always being tested, at times undermined by various problems and people we face in life.
But when our own image of our self is one of grit and determination, we have the moral courage to face everything. That is what counts. Every one's life is like the waves of an ocean---up and down.
Whenever we feel low, we should hark back to the time when we were part of the victory lap. It can be any memory from childhood, or as an adult. We are and we become what we think. Never underestimate the power of thought. Think of yourself as a person with strength and the ability to
face the roller coasters of life.
The source of self confidence is knowing who we are.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Who Am I ?

Who am I, is a question which needs pondering in depth by every one. The three aspects of our personality, what others think of us, what we thinks of us need to be in harmony with what we actually are. More often than not, what others think of us becomes most important. This in turn, moulds our own opinion of our self. For example, a person has a public image of being either a shrew or being meek. Such a person will at times feel obliged to live up to the image, i.e. be angry when he or she is not or be quiet when furious. We become bound to this image of ours. Our opinion of our self tends to rely on the company of our friends, community etc. This is peer pressure.
The moment we come under the yoke of peer pressure, our intelligence gets clouded and the clarity of thought and situations vanishes. In short, we create a prison for own self. We begin to live up to the expectations of others which may be at variance with our own. If this situation continues, a nagging feeling of disquiet fills the being and it becomes difficult to pinpoint the reason for it. Relief is sought and one can turn to drugs or false friends to overcome it.
A break through comes about only when the need for it is realised. When the desire for change arises, the means too, appear.
More on this in the next blog.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Empathising with Others

Empathy is required in our everyday life. When we feel irritated, we need to stem our irritation by seeing the other person's actions from a different angle. Even our own, for that matter. This may not be possible all the time. The next best thing is to think about the day's events just before sleeping. In that tired state, the mind is defenceless and new insights are possible. This can occur only if we are ready to make the requisite effort.
We have three aspects to our personality.
The first is what others think we are.
The second is what we think we are.
The third is what we actually are.
In the half asleep state, our real self, what we actually are peeps out. This is the time when we become aware of the reasons for our own actions and reactions. This eases the pressure on our mind and helps in sound sleep.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Be Objective

We can learn to connect with our own selves to have clear reasoning and understanding of our actions and reactions. It is the nature of the mind to blur the intelligence and absolve one's own self of all wrong doing. Thinking over the day's events just before sleeping is a good habit. Sometimes, the first thought in the morning helps in better understanding. It is important to distance yourself a little to be objective. Intelligence functions best when it is not too involved.
We may give perfect advice to others but will feel lost with our own problems. Intelligence is sharpened when we cease to judge others and empathise with them. The quality of empathy is really placing our own self in another person's shoes.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Connecting Within

All of us connect within when we feel peaceful and contented as occasinally we all do. We have to actually hold on to this spark of connection and nurture it. This connection becomes camouflaged by feelings of anger, hatred, greed and jealousy. These felings harm not only others but our own self also by robbing us of our peace. A supreme effort is needed to keep a check on the negativity within us.
The effort needs to begin at the level of the thought. Thoughts which harm others and us should be nipped in the bud. Deep breathing calms the mind. Concentrating on the inhaling and the exhaling process of breathing will help relax.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Inner Peace

At times we are all restess, not knowing what to do with our spare time. Nothing appears to satisfy. We may pursue one thing or the other in our search for inner satisfaction. We must recognise this as the restlessness of the soul, of our inner self.
We cannot survive without taking adequate care of the body. Similarly, we have to take care of the needs of our inner self for our own peace. Time has to be kept apart for caring to the needs of the inner self. Beautiful nature is the ready means to connect within. The beauty of creation, be it the colourful flowers or majestic trees in a park, silences the turmoil within. Listening to the sounds of creation such as the chirping birds, the falling rain, the rustle of the leaves, the waves of the sea all soothe the restlessness of the spirit. Looking up at the sky itself helps us to connect within.
This inner connection is the key to our inner peace.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

One Among Many

We must always keep in mind that we are one among many, though everyone has an innermost desire to be exclusive. Overlooking this simple fact becomes the cause of frustration and sorrow. The inmost desire to be exclusive should not depend upon other people's perception of us. We can feel exclusive within ourselves by being content and peaceful. But in society we are always one among many. We may occupy the centre stage but for a while only. We have to move on to make space for others.
Inner strength is needed to face our own shortcomings. Develop your strength by being positive.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The Learning Process

We are all bestowed with inner strength. To think otherwise is to forget that as babies we all learnt to crawl, to stand up first with some help and then walk on our own. Their inner strength motivates the babies to get up when they fall, to leave the hand that supports them and to walk on their own. We do not remember but all of us have gone through this learning process.
When we grow up, feelings of fear and at times guilt saps our inner strength. The universe actually functions without the concept of fear. The sun, the moon, the stars and the five elements function without fear. But fear is part of the sentient world. All the creatures including human beings live a life fraught with fear.
Developing inner strength is the only means of overcoming fear. The base of inner strength is courage of your inner convictions and not harming anyone consciously. As mortals mired in confusion, we are all bound to make mistakes. But if we accept our mistake, atone it if possible, and learn the implicit lesson from it, we can get rid of both fear and guilt. We are then ready to move forward without the baggage of past indiscretion's weighing on our mind. In short we bounce back with vigour and inner strength intact.