Mira Prabhu's Blog, page 11
December 7, 2017
A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO A TEMPORARY PROBLEM
[image error]A friend who once worked as a psychiatrist in a posh town in California once said to me that he saw the act of suicide as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Ironically, his own crazily hedonistic lifestyle militated against his innate wisdom and he himself later tried to commit suicide. But I never forgot his words, especially since I lost a few friends in this manner; every single time I heard someone had offed themselves the shock was great. The worst news was the suicide of a lovely woman I knew in New York. One fine day in fall, she had gone home and shot herself with a gun she had just bought, and that too before her beloved cat. Since she lived alone on the top floor of a condo, her body was not found for several days, and that poor cat had to be a witness to the gradual decomposition of the body of his beloved mistress. I was in a restaurant enjoying brunch with a friend when I heard the news; I literally screamed—because I had once been close to her. She had been a strong Zen practitioner, calm, quiet and loving, and also the last person in the world I would have thought would have killed herself. Later I heard she left a note saying she was going over to the other side to see what it was like, or something asinine in that vein, which just goes to show that we should never go by a façade.
I love the teachings of the East because they tell us clearly that getting rid of the physical body, which is just a mix of the great elements of fire, air, earth, water and consciousness, and run by the three “gunas” of rajas, tamas and sattva, does not get rid of our suffering. Simply put, our immortal Spirit takes a new form and the suffering continues. This nugget of mystical information should be enough to stop us from ever contemplating suicide, but then, how many on the planet today give a damn for eastern philosophy, or even know that its ancient truths are priceless?
[image error]Gautama Buddha’s First Noble Truth, Life is Suffering, means that we are not been personally victimized by a sadistic god when we suffer; no, we are merely experiencing the results of our past thought, speech and action in countless lifetimes. Gautama goes on to state that there is a sure way out of suffering, and this truth is echoed by all sages and mystics who assure us that our true nature, the very substratum of our being, is nothing less than immortal existence, pure awareness and unalloyed bliss. What does this mean? Simply that all shades of unhappiness are false. So while there are situations and circumstances beyond the purview of this post, for ordinary folk who feel so down that ending their lives begins to sound like an attractive proposition, just keep moving forward despite the fear and the pain, one step at a time; sooner or later you will turn the hairpin bend of angst and find yourself on a bright and spacious road that leads to the realization that your essence is, and always has been, perfect immortal bliss.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill of fire and light, who initially intensifies our darkness so that we can see our relative selves clearly and burn off all that we no longer need, and live in the eternal sunlight of Spirit.
NEW!!! My latest book – COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA – just went live on Jun 30th. Read all about it and on how to get your own copy here.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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November 30, 2017
Be Calm & Follow Your Bliss
[image error]The world into which I was thrust made absolutely no sense to me. I was solemnly informed that there was a God who had created the world, but, even as a child, I considered this arrant nonsense. God, I was further told, was pure Love, which made me even more dubious about the authenticity of this wisdom. If God was pure love, I wondered, how in sweet hell could he have created a world so full of ignorance, misery, hatred and suffering? Did it give him perverse pleasure to watch babies starving, men being blown to bits in senseless wars, innocent brides burned to death for lack of a larger dowry, monstrous inequities in wealth, and a myriad other forms of implausible wickedness?
Soon I discovered that pleasure could be derived from this same world simply by indulging one’s senses and using one’s talents to become rich and famous. Yes, one could enjoy a variety of entertainments, sparkling if fickle companions, terrific parties, sex, drugs, and rock & roll. But why did a feeling of pain and emptiness invariably follow indulgence in these so-called pleasures? Instead of waking us up, I discovered too, this hollowness often drove humans to chase new forms of pleasure, which also ended up in the same dreary hell—which is why, I supposed, insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
I continued to ask questions and was punished for being recalcitrant and hard to please—why couldn’t I be a good girl and just follow the damned system? But castigation only intensified my yearning to discover a reality that made sense to me. In the process, life knocked me down again and again. My innate sense of honesty did not prevent me from having several skirmishes with the crooked, those who would tell a string of lies to get what they wanted, either to better their material prospects or to bolster their egos, or both—and this no matter the ruinous cost to others. All of this affected me drastically and I spun into dysfunction myself, until my fervent pleas for aid were heard and I stumbled gratefully onto the path that leads to the Spiritual Heart.
[image error]Unlike dilettantes who dabble in esoterica, my own quest to find the unsurpassed peace and joy that eastern sages informed me was my true nature was urgent and desperate. Confronted by a stark choice—either to make peace with reality, or die, I chose to live. I would live well, I decided, for the best revenge against all those who inflict suffering on innocents would be to shine like the rare diamond my gurus assured me I was.
Gradually doubt gave way to calm confidence. The teachings on karma, reincarnation and shunyata (emptiness) were razor-sharp swords I used to slice through reality, even as I employed the tools of meditation and yoga to balance the physical with the spiritual. In so doing, it became easy to forgive the past and all its mistakes. Humans were not intrinsically evil, I realized, but ignorant—and this ignorance was not of the academic variety, but the ego-driven misbehavior of those who do not believe in cosmic laws of cause of effect; oblivious that the karmic pendulum will sooner or later swing back to give them the same pain they wreak on others, they continue to act with arrogant recklessness.
Now ‘prarabhdha karma’ refers to that portion of our karma that we are born with and which must run on to the end of our lives, even after we are finally free of illusion. As the seeker burrows deeper into the Spiritual Heart, where the final battle rages between mini-me and the immortal Self (our true nature), s/he often must endure dreadful trials and tribulations. Why is this? Only because there is mountainous karma to be burned before the final scales fall to reveal the blazing light of the Infinite.
[image error]Recently I read this statement: Be calm and follow your bliss. It struck me deeply, because although I’ve come a long way from the troubled adolescent that I was, life can still be difficult. What is this bliss we must follow? It is our dharma, the reason we incarnate into a particular form and matrix. Dharma is what the Blue God Krishna advised Prince Arjuna to follow when he was reeling with doubt on the ancient battlefield of the Kurukshetra. Arjuna did not want to destroy his kinsmen; wasn’t it better to surrender his own life for the sake of peace? he asked Krishna. Fight the good fight, my friend, Krishna advised him, and let the Divine take care of the consequences. It is your dharma to be a great warrior assigned to restore balance to a sick world. And, infused by the spirit of the Divine, Arjuna picked up his magical bow Gandiva and once again pledged himself to fighting the wicked.
If we study our lives carefully, we will find subtle patterns that manifest every now and again. Details and characters will differ, but the basic pattern is the same. It is these karmic patterns that are the source of our suffering; so we focus not on fighting the external enemy, who will in time self-destruct, but on dissolving these insidious demons that reside in our own consciousness. For this, I use Ramana Maharshi’s Direct Path of Self-Investigation and the timeless teachings of the sage Nisargadatta Maharaj.
[image error]If we sincerely seek a higher path, we will eventually discover our specific dharma. If we can still our mind for long enough to listen to the Inner Guru, it instructs us on how to act. Then we must follow this advice, despite the storms and tempests of relative existence. We must fight lower consciousness in ourselves and in others—whether it has taken the form of dangerous vices that cause us to stray off the path, an abusive husband, a crooked boss or politician. Sometimes it means we must let go of someone who has chosen betrayal as a way of life. Above all, as we commit to the light, we must stay calm—if we keep our objective in mind, which is to merge into the unalloyed happiness that is our true nature, we can survive almost any attack. Invisible forces of light and legions of angels will hover around us too, giving us the strength, clarity and courage to take on the dark side and to win.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill of fire and light, whose vow is to dissolve all that blocks us from knowing that we ourselves are nothing but Love and Light!
NEW!!! My latest book – COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA – just went live on Jun 30th. Read all about it and on how to get your own copy here.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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November 29, 2017
THE DASHING FENCER
[image error]At a certain phase of my life, when I was desperately planning my escape from a city many would give their eye teeth (whatever that means!) to enjoy (Manhattan), I worked for a posh law firm and took every opportunity for overtime that I could, hoping to pay down my big fat mortgage, sell my adorable apartment, and flee to the Himalayas. One of my favorite lawyers to work for was the powerful head of the Real Estate Division and a multi-millionaire many times over. During our post-midnight stints as he churned documents out and I whipped them into shape, he had let slip that as a young idealist he had dreamed of wandering India, ancient land of sacred cows and hoary temples, in quest of himself. But he had sold out when he won a scholarship to an ivy league outfit and even more when he had married a woman who wanted him to make more and more money so he could send their kids for horse-riding lessons and to vacations in Paris.
[image error]It must have been about 3 in the morning when my eyes fell on a photo on his desk. “Who’s that?” I asked, intrigued by the handsome and dashing figure of a young man dressed in fencing garb and brandishing a sword or whatever. He glared at me, offended. “That’s me,” he said. I laughed and shrugged, “how could I tell?” You have mask on.” But the truth was that that slender young man bore absolutely no resemblance to the pot-bellied rotund double-chinned bespectacled worry-wart before me.
We got back to our work, because he was anxious to clinch yet another deal so he could buy the new country home his wife had set her eyes on. But I could not stop thinking about the heavy price that young man had to pay for selling his soul for a mess of pottage—and, as a result, knowing I could well end up a weary cynical aged creature if I didn’t get quickly off the wheel, I was even more keen to escape.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva in the form of a hill of fire and light, who vows to guide us out of the many labyrinths constructed out of human desire and fear and into a realm of eternal peace and bliss.
NEW!!! My latest book – COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA – just went live on Jun 30th. Read all about it and on how to get your own copy here.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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November 28, 2017
Know Yourself To Be Free!
Even recently I’ve met those who seem to believe they are inferior to God – whatever their conception of the Divine – and I hasten to tell them that an Advaitin views God as their own highest Self…if this attitude/feeling does not change, one can never attain moksha (permanent freedom from suffering). Thanks for this, Harsh!
Know yourself to be free
and realize your bliss.
Thinking yourself bound
will make you miss
that which is easily found
by being still.
November 26, 2017
Ramana Maharshi’s “Who am I?” with comments
Brilliant Ramana….
Living in the Embrace of Arunachala
This was originally written in 2000, then later updated. The text is from the version that was edited by Ramana himself, so I consider this the most accurate version of Ramana’s words.
Read, reflect and deeply meditate. Inquire and know yourself, and be always free and at peace.
Click th8is link to download: Who am I with comments
November 22, 2017
Researchers Reveal 5 Secrets of People Who Have Lived to Be 100 by Power of Positivity
I hope you read this – mystics claim that it is very difficult to attain human birth – our lives are beyond precious!!!
While centenarians make up a small share of the world’s older population, their proportion is growing. In 1990 there were 2.9 centenarians for every 10,000 adults ages 65 and older around the world. That share grew to 7.4 by 2015 and is projected to rise by 23.6 by 2050. ~ Pew Research
Japan and Italy, what’s your secret?
All you can eat sushi and pasta? (“Please God…”)
On a serious note, the Japanese and Italians dust the rest of the world in the proportionate number of persons aged 100 and older.
Japan has the top spot at 4.8 per 10,000 people, followed by Italy at 4.1 per 10,000.
The U.S. ranks third at 2.2. China (0.3) and India (0.2) round out the top five.
What’s truly incredible is that these numbers are expected to rise as much as ten-fold over the next 35 years, according to the United Nations’ “World…
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November 18, 2017
…pain, loss, regret – the stuff of drama Harold Pinter QUOTES FOR WRITERS (and people who like quotes)
Drama includes pain, loss, regret – that’s what drama is about!
Harold Pinter
I think plays have nothing to do with one’s own personal life. Not in my experience, anyway. The stuff of drama has to do, not with your subject matter, anyway, but with how you treat it. Drama includes pain, loss, regret – that’s what drama is about!
Harold Pinter
November 16, 2017
Is there anything you can’t write about? ART FOR WRITERS
The dispassionate genius of the great artist: “I caught myself…searching for the succession, the arrangement of coloured graduations that death was imposing on her motionless face” Read on!
I’m guessing that most people have seen Claude Monet’s water lilies in his garden at Giverny, near Paris. He began painting them in 1899 and didn’t stop for the next 20 years. The images he created are on posters and make up bags, tableclothes and lighters. They have caught our collective imagination and their gentle colours have become part of our mental landscape.This painting, however, comes from an earlier and darker period of his life. It is of Camille Monet and she has just died a slow, painful death from cancer having been ill for two years with tuberculosis. It is 1879, she is 32 years old and leaves behind two small sons and a grief-stricken husband burdened with terrible financial problems.
And what does he do? He paints her and even as he does so, he’s horrified that he can be so detached.
“I caught myself…searching for the…
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YOUNG SOUL, OLD SOUL
[image error]The New Age (which I happen to mostly detest and keep my distance for, for really it is all recycled material that they use often to great detriment of depth and richness) has popularized many buzzwords and one is that someone or the other is an old soul. Now when I threw the words “young soul” at a close friend one day in frustration, he blew up at me and said these phrases were ridiculous nonsense. Not so, I said, for to me the difference between an old and a young soul is as clear as the full moon shining over Arunachala on a balmy summer’s night.
An Old Soul is simply a human who has seen through the mesmerizing veils of Maya, the Cosmic Enchantress. He or she has either experienced the double-edged sword of samsara in this lifetime, or his knowing has emerged from countless past lives. Never mind, but this person is no longer enchanted by stately mansions surrounded by a forest of palm trees, obscenely plump bank accounts or stock portfolios, expensive vehicles, supermodels, celebrities of all kinds, or by those pampered creatures with access to the so-called good life. Why is this? Simply because this person now knows for sure that while there is a great deal of pleasure to be drawn from the world, this pleasure is invariably followed by pain, which is why the mystics refer to indulgence in a hedonistic lifestyle as licking the honey off a razor’s edge. And what about the Young Soul? Oh, he or she is still dazzled by the façade, that’s all.
[image error]Now for the critical question: is one better than the other? My honest answer is, while I would prefer to be an Old Soul, the essence of both is exactly the same—pure existence, awareness and bliss. Would you turn back as you ascend an infinite stairway and have contempt for those who have just begun their journey of comprehending reality? Not if you were wise and loving, for sure. An Old Soul was once a Young Soul and a Young Soul will inevitably evolve into an Old Soul, but, and it’s a big but, this depends on consistent effort. Liberation is guaranteed to all of us, but no one is saying when. So its up to us to prolong the suffering or not.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva in the form of a hill of fire and light, who vows to open our inner eye so we can discriminate between the real and the unreal, between true joy and the fake pleasure that comes from the reckless enjoyment of the senses!
NEW!!! My latest book – COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA – just went live on Jun 30th. Read all about it and on how to get your own copy here.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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