Kindle Notes & Highlights
bildungsroman
mezzanine
usual, but in the blink of an eye, it had completely changed—just like the unsuspecting, colourless liquid in a chemical experiment instantaneously turns pink with one more drop of a titrant.
bespoke
As a structural engineer trained to design load-bearing arches for bridges and tunnels, I would often question, but mostly be amused by, how easily the world of financial trading was able to create perceived value out of thin air just by pushing some buttons on a keyboard.
It was a stunning and well-choreographed circus.
It sent a curious tickle down my spine.
gangway
virulent
And the answer is almost always inconclusive.
drudgery,
barrage
At one level, I was grateful for the new lease of life, yet at another level, it felt like having the wrong currency in a foreign country. I didn’t know what to do with it.
Time has a healing quality, and a routine is an anaesthetic. Together, both can restore an apparent sense of normalcy rather quickly—at least, on the surface.
An artificial sense of urgency was born.
I wasn’t depressed. I was just bored and disinterested. And I was fully aware of it.
began to realize that in my search for solace, external distractions did not bring me any closer to contentment. This was a clear reminder that action doesn’t necessarily equate with progress.
How was I to instruct my mind? The more I instructed my mind, the more it decided to rebel.
bodega
spartan
‘Hmmm?!’ Some people in the crowd started cheering at his simple interjection that came across as a mix of a question and wonder. I didn’t quite get it.
‘Our experience of the world is based on perception. Since every perception is erroneous, the world is an illusion.’
‘Experiences are all of perception. The experiencer is the only reality. Look for the seer, the experiencer, in between experiences.’
His words were earnest but there was mischief in his tone.
Like an experienced parent guiding a child to think for themselves, he proceeded to drop breadcrumbs leading us in the right direction, rather ...
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corny sense of humour
They all came across as part innocent, part well-meaning, and part pushy. All of them, without exception, were poor salesmen, and I found that strangely endearing.
mincing of words.
snowballing workload.
poster child for the importance of meditation.
He reminded me of a hard-core advocate who distributes pamphlets outside the subway station. Why, I had no idea. But he was annoyingly adamant about it.
There were some obvious, awkward, and profound moments during the first session of the program.
affable
some simple, yet thought-provoking, knowledge. Though it appeared obvious at surface level, implementing and living it truthfully could perhaps take a lifetime of uphill effort.
I had read all the scientific research validating
‘Su is proper, Darshan is vision and Kriya is a purifying action. It is through the action of our own breath, we get the vision of who we are.’
floodgates of random thoughts had been opened. My mind was full of reflections that I had not entertained in the longest time. I was surprised at how some distant memories, some not-so-pleasant experiences from the past, and even sweet nostalgia flooded my awareness. Sudden flashes from that fateful morning in September came rushing in as if they had been waiting backstage for their time in the spotlight. It was undeniable and painful. For over three years, I had kept pushing those thoughts aside, distracting myself with the next thing as soon as the thoughts even attempted to cross my mind.
...more
I slipped into nothingness. It was a different kind of void. There was nothing there, and yet it felt so complete.
It seemed as if I had lost complete awareness. Time had come to a standstill. I do remember hearing some instructions here and there. But it felt as if I was in an alternate reality or a parallel universe.
That space deep down below was devoid of even a faint ripple. I had no idea how long I sat at the bottom of this ocean. There was not a sound, not a thing around me.
As the process concluded, I very gently opened my eyes. They were moist. I felt light as a feather, cleansed by my own breath.
I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask. Did I fall asleep? I did remember hearing all the instructions. What had just happened?
I quietly thanked him in my head for twisting my arm to be a part of this. In that moment, I knew I had to listen to him more and more going forward, instead of listening to my questioning intellect.
only now did I realize how incredibly incomplete they all are in conveying the experience. After all, how do you communicate the thrill of navigating rapids to someone who has never tried river rafting?
The enthusiasm and adrenaline rush of shooting past the starting line creates a distorted reality, in which the effort required to run a race suddenly appears trivial, and the finish line seems all too within reach. The first mile is always the fastest for an amateur running a marathon.
enthusiasm was lost. Was I meditating? Was I falling asleep? I had no idea. And at this stage, I couldn’t tell the difference. What
And practicing it with Alak made it feel like we were on a little adventure together.
I would keep coming back to SKY, just for those moments of calm and stillness, which felt like ice water on a blazing summer afternoon.
I felt like I had dipped my toes into the unknown. To know the unknown; is that all there is to be known?
And yet, somewhere inside, I was not ready to come out for fear of being judged or mocked.
