Lost

Every day I spend time searching for whats within myself. I weep- because I cannot find me. I am lost- because without me to guide myself - I am just a slave to others.

And I am sad- because I am just awakening from the sleep of the age..

Pune Tree Watch

Participated in an education event last week-end as part of Pune Tree Watch. This rather young organisation is doing more at grassroots level than more older organisations... Since I believe that what is needed is a transformation in consciousness rather than just token steps, I do believe we were able to make a difference. Part of the message of-course was that of empowerment- that normal people without any political or money power can make a difference.

The stalls on M.G.Road in Pune were actually put up by the Pune Cantonment Board, who are rather interested in the cause. Oh- here is a picture of me during this event.

Want to join in ? you can join at http://www.punetreewatch.org OR the Yahoo! group at
punetreewatch@yahoogroups.com

Ants and men

The questions I ask here are questions I ask myself as much as I ask you - the reader.


How much different or meaningful is my life or anyones life from that of an ant or a grasshopper ? We are all born, eat, eliminate, breathe, breed and move on. Ants build anthills we build our skyscrapers. Neither is permanent, neither can exist without maintenance. For some reason,we choose to believe that our life is more meaningful- perhaps because we cannot really see their lives and perhaps because we live longer. That makes us inferior to a giant tortoise - those guys and gals can live up to nearly 200 years.

Over all though - may be also because we feel good at feeling better than another being.How much of that feeling of being better than another is part of our core self ? What we identify with as our core self ? Which comes first is it losing this part of the core self or identification with the universe ? All I know is that the toughest fight is this fight with yourself. The fight to end this need for identification with a false sense of superiority.

On this auspicious day- may the source of all auspiciousness lead us from darkness and pain to light and joy.

Om Namah Shivaya

Movement, calmness

Sometimes, its not about the zen aphorism of being still in the midst of movement. Excessive movement drives one inwards towards a calm centre- where one truly does not move. Where time stops still and nothing matters- because you have it ALL.

The pendulum of the mind oscillates from calm to movement. In the midst of movement one longs for calm- in the midst of calm one perceives the movement that is overt and subtle. Truly one is both the calmness and the movement- yet beyond both- the one who perceives both and yet is neither.

All calmness which is not the witness's is temporary and merely part of a movement. The truly calm centre as described above is from identification with the witness.

Happiness

I was watching my neighbours' young and not so young children dancing at the new years's party. The thought that struck me is how much we are sold in to an external definition of happiness. Will these kids be happy when they grow up ? Will they be sabotaged by fitting into an external definition of happiness- in an environment where advertisements and consumerism increasingly seek to define to you how happy you should be....And what you should do to be happy. Considering that these rules are not exactly made by selfless do-gooders...

I guess there was one time when your parents and culture's definition of happiness and achievements was the only standard. What has changed is that there are too many voices, too many snake oil salesmen posing as purveyors of truth.

So many insidious voices selling ideas to make money, with little thought for the receivers long term happiness or impact on others. And we are getting programmed to listen to people who tell us how to live- more than to people who really care for their happiness and well being.The mythical tower of babel must look like a garden party compared to what modern society is getting to be.

Winds of change are blowing

The winds of change are blowing... I can feel it- I am not sure where the winds are going to blow me, but considering where I have been, it cannot but be to a better place. The lows of life are also needed once in a while- it teaches you to listen to yourself, to the rhythms of the universe. We are not just the observer- but also the universe. The wind that blows, the sails which catch the wind, the ship that sails the sea- and eventually the sea( I dont see this yet :-)).

One thing I am sure I dont want to do- and I put it here in writing to rebuke me if I deviate...Is to never to get so caught up in living that I forget to listen to myself. To be able to for ever be able to smell the roses- of what use is it being a gardener if one doesnt have the time to smell the roses ?

Here are some pics from my trip to Bhimashankar... Taken on my mobile- so its not too great. But its still the wild, beautiful, loving spirit of nature. All copyrights to Her ;-)

Happy new (CE) year

Wish you all a happy new year as per the Gregorian calendar( CE for the un-initiated is Current Era). To those of us who remember that this is just one among many and - one of the newest- happy rest of the old year. My own new year is in April(Kolla varsham)( as per the gregorian calendar) and it is over a 1000 years old already- as opposed to the Gregorian- which is just over 500 years old.

Considering that our own lifetimes are less than a sneeze on the space time continuum, the undue influence these new years have on our life is part of the temporal tyranny imposed by the consumerist culture. More on that in another post.