Om Swami's Blog, page 7

Personal vs. Private

An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God. What makes the aforesaid quote special is that it came from not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry but a mathematician extraordinaire. Someone whose theorems and ... Read more →

Grow Up

In a certain village lived a quiet sadhu who was known for giving the briefest answers to the problems people brought to him. And his most common reply was “grow up”. No matter what ninety percent of the people had ... Read more →

Tongue in Teeth

Strolling through the quiet streets of Lanka at night, Hanumana was rather taken aback when he heard the chants of Sri Ram coming from a home. These were not loud or prominent chants but whispers escaping through the windows. In the ... Read more →

Mango Speech

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780 - 1839) was very fond of mangoes and good governance, both of which were in abundance in Punjab for the most part of the last five hundred years. On a whim, one day the valiant king ... Read more →

Perfecting Your Posture in Meditation

The mountains are lush green, and here and there are blossoming trees of different colors, lavender, cream, and all. As if these giant silent wonders of nature are ageing gracefully. When peeking at these beautiful and patient mountains, and as ... Read more →

Attachments

Attachment is the cause of suffering.  This is one of the basic tenets of all major Eastern religions. And attachment comes from ego, which in turn is nothing but a sign of ignorance. Therefore, ignorance (avidya) is the root cause ... Read more →

Questions

Back in June 2005, I was sharing my spiritual goals with a small group in Sydney. The general drift of the conversation was as casual as the outdoor setting we were in. Basking in the beautiful winter sun, we’d just ... Read more →

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

I was seven years old when my father taught me the idiom: Make hay while the sun shines. This was my first ever class of idioms and proverbs and was a tad different from the grammar I had been absorbing ... Read more →

The Vinegar Tasters

I am a bit tired. Strike that. I am quite tired. Thankfully, not figuratively. It’s just tiredness of the body and brain. I have had an incredibly hectic week that included putting in two all-nighters and over eighteen hours on ... Read more →

Mind, O Mind!

“You want to forgive and forget,” someone said to me recently, “but when that person comes in front of you, old memories come rushing back disturbing your equilibrium. They unsettle me. What can I do to overcome that?” Ah! I ... Read more →