Stretching

From Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Stretching sound is music
Stretching movement is dance
Stretching smile is laughter
Stretching mind is meditation
Stretching life is celeberation
Stretching devotee is god
Stretching feeling is estacy
Stretching emptiness is bliss

Trailing & Hiking- America's National Parks

1. Yellow Stone National park stretching from Montana to Wymoming to Idaho.
(to visit Old Faithful)
2. Denai National Park in Alaska
(to visit Mt Mckinley)
4. Acadia National park in Maine
(to visit Mount Desert island)
5. Shenandoah National Park in Virgina
(to visit Applachian Trail)
6. Glacier National Partk in Montana
(to visit Logan Pass)
7. Redwood National Park in California
8. Saguaro National Park in Arizona
9. Volcanoes National Partk in Hawaii

American Indians - Vanishing Race

A beautiful poem about the lost race who once inhabited what we now call America.

Ella Higginson 1860-1940

Into the shadows, whose illumined crest
Speaks fo the world behind them where the sun
Still shines for us whose day is not yet done.

Those last dark ones go drifting. East or West
or North or South-it matters not; their quest
is toward the shadows whence it was begun;
Hope in it, Ag my broters! there is none;
And yet - they only seek a place to rest

So mutely, uncomplainingly, they go!
How shall it be with us when they are gone,
When they are but a memory and a name?
May not those mriunful etes to phasntoms grow-
When, wrongedand lonely, they have drifted on
Into the voiceless shadow whence they came?

Teams & Leaderships

"A solution that is tactically inferior, but has the full commitment of those who implement it, maybe more effective than one that is tactically superior but is resisted by those who have to make it work.

Most Problems have multiple solutions. The effectiveness of a solution depends on the accuracy of the chosen tactic. It is however equally important that the person implementing the tactic also believes in it.

Effeciveness = Accuracy x Commitment

Expecting that leaders hould know everything is among the most ridiculous and harmful idea. Leaders earn their keep not by knowing everything,but by knowing to bringing together the right combination of people (most of who know a great deal about certain topics than their leaders would know) and propel them towards common objectives.

" - excerpt from the book Crucial Confrontations

The Way

Art , a way of seeing
Song , a way of saying
Dance, a way of moving

Failure, a way of learning
Success , a way of planning
Life, a way of experimenting

Love, a way of longing
God, a way of forgiving
Others, a way of satisfying

Family, a way of commiting
Foes, a way of dealing
Friends, a way of knowing

Self, alone the divine being

Song of a Sage

Excerpts from Vashishta's Yoga (translated by venkatesananda) originally written by Valmiki in the epic Ramayana dating back as early as 3-4 century BC

We contemplate that self which reveals itself as pure experience of bliss, when the seer comes into contact with the seen, without a division or conceptualization.

We contemplate the self in which objects are reflected non volitionally, the divided experience of subject-object and the intention or volition that created such adicision ceased.

We contemplate that light that illumins all that shines, the self that transcends twin concepts of "is" and "is-not" and which therefore is neutral to the two sides.

We contemplate that reality in which everything exists, to which everything belongs, from which everything has emerged, which is the cause of everything and which is everything.

We contemplate the self which is the very basis of all language and expressions, which emerges and dissolves by the expression 'Aham' (I).

Integration without Conflict Possible?

"Why do you object to conflict? You all seem to think conflict is a dreadful thing. At present you and I are in conflict, are we not? I am trying to tell you something, and you don’t understand; so there is a sense of friction, conflict. And what is wrong with friction, conflict, disturbance? Must you not be disturbed? Integration does not come when you seek it by avoiding conflict. It is only through conflict, and the understanding of conflict, that there is integration.
Integration is one of the most difficult things to come by, because it means complete unification of your whole being in all that you do, in all that you say, in all that you think. You cannot have integration without understanding relationship- your relationship with society, villager, beggar, millionare and the governor.To understand relationship you must struggle with it, you must question and not merely accept the values established by tradition, parents, by the priest, by the religion and the economic system of the society about you. That it why it is essential for you to revolt, otherwise you will never have integration."

Top 25 Technological Innovations in Last 25 years

Top 25 Technological Innovations of Information Age according to CNN in last 25 years

Innovation 25 - WiFI cards
Innovation 24 - Wireless Bluetooth Ear aid
Innovation 23 - Voicemail (Gordon Thomas
Innovation 22 - Flash Memory Cards
Innovation 21 - Nanotechnology
Innovation 20 - Orbital Space Shuttles
Innovation 19 – High Definition TV
Innovation 18 – LCD & Plasma Displays
Innovation 17 – Organic LED
Innovation 16 – Hybrid Cars
Innovation 15 – Rechargeable Batteries
Innovation 14 – Automated Teller Machines (First was London Barclays)
Innovation 13 – Air Bags (First was Mercedes)
Innovation 12 – DNA Fingerprinting(Inventor Alec Jeffery)
Innovation 11 – Micro Electro Mechanical Systems
Innovation 10 – Radio Frequency ID (RFID)
Innovation 09 – Digital Photography
Innovation 08 – Digital Discs (CD\DVD)
Innovation 07 – Pocket PC
Innovation 06 – Global Positioning System
Innovation 05 – Email
Innovation 04 – Fibre Optics
Innovation 03 – Computer
Innovation 02 – Mobile Phone (Martin Cooper - Motorola inventor)
Innovation 01 - Internet

The Warrior

The warrior is

One who is convinced on the purpose through insight
One who knows which battles are worth his might
One who has the courage to side , even if few are right
One who has the skill to know when and where to fight
One who can defend himself & his men, be it either day or night

One whose power speaks against the deceit
One whose knowledge is on the side of elite
One whose mind think even at the brink of defeat
One whose wisdom guides to save lives by graciously retreat
One whose heart tells when the drums of peace can beat

Organizational Learning

The art of resistive behavior is an inherent aspect among all employees in any organization, especially when it is thrusted by the management down to its employees. The resistance could be lack of willingness to cooperate, or enthusiastically particpate or willing to unlearn old ways and adopt new transformational ways and methods of operating and learning.
The divide between the Management Executives and Employees is actually the lack of shared vision and in start up organizations, it is the exploitory attitude which the employees feel towards the management. In case of large organizations, there is a system already in place which was the fundamental building blocks by which the organiation grew. But in today's knowledge based world, adapting to change, adopting to learn and try new methods to emerge out of the neck to neck competition is an ever demanding threat which the organizations face.
Reinventing Organizational strategies instead of being a proactive step is often a last minute desperate measure which the CEO or the management of a company takes to survive or hold itself together. Strategy is a companies destiny, eventhough revolutionary thinkers & leaders can help change organizations drastically and bring about a new transformational energy, people of such leadership qualities seldom exist. Hence it falls to be a group effort which could bring these changes with more than willing to learn attitude from its employees (who have been subjected to suborination and passivity for so long which had crippled their creativity and their indvidual power to contribute, but have led them to brainwash themselves to just be puppets and blindly do what they are told)
Individual freedom is not necessarily again the right solution to organization problems, it has many a times taken them into different indvidual directiosn without a common vision or goal. Most of the employees do not even understand or know or have a clear vision of what their manager or their company is trying to acheive, they care only to do their part from a standpoint of job safety and extra perks. Hence Organizational learning is much more profound and difficult to accomplish even amidst self motivated individual learners (who have often contributed to the bottom up learning, by creating competition because of high personal standards and selfmotivations).
Ability of an organization to retain its employees, doesnt necessarily make us believe that it would be a successfull organiazation. For all we may know there will always be a large group of passive people who may be willing to pay a higher price for their job stability and who would choose to take the easier root of learning only when it happens to be a survival threat.
The only model by which organizational learning can be accomplished is to create an environment where every individual is respected, every individual is made to contribute with not just their mind, but body mind and spirit. Instead of focussing on expecting submissive attitude, creative & independent but yet integrated virtues have to be both inculcated and encouraged by leaders demonstrating themseleves as learners. Corporate cultures are even difficult to mold or break than traditional cultures, the only way to mold at will is the ability for the leadership hirerchy to open up and discuss the companies goals, expectations , its sucess and failures interms of personal and organizational growth.
Employers are always concerned how to do it without saying the need for it.
Most employees will always do it without understanding why they do it.
Some employees will think when to do it (threat, survival, job safety).
Few Employees will choose not to do it and either indirectly resist or will quit.

Organizational Transformation when it happens is a Resonance, its like the energy of a strong river which takes in its current many different things (pebbles, stones, rocks) along its path, with a single focus and goal, to merge into the ocean of success.

Krishna's Love for Radha

Radha's name is inseperable from Krishna's name in the Hindu Myths. There have been many Vishanvite poets who have extolled the love of Radha for Krishnaand her love is praised as the purest form of divine love. There are very few verses where Krishna's love for Radha is mentioned.

Jayadeva in Gitagovinda 12 century Poet

The pleasures of her touch and tremulous
tender wandering of her eyes
the fragrance of the lotus which is her mouth
the cunning flow of nectar in her words
if thus, even in attachment to sense objects
my mind is fixed in the highest meditation upon her
alas, how then the sickness of live- in- seperation can increase?

Vidyapathi 14t century poet

For heaven's sake, listen, listen, O my darling
Do not dart your cruel, angry glances at me,
For I swear by the lovely pitchers of your breasts,
And by your golden, glittering, snake-like necklace:
If ever on earth I dare touch anyone except you,
Let your necklace turn into a real snake, and bite me;
And if ever my promise and words prove false,
Chastise me, O darling, in the way you want to.

Surdas in Surasagara 15th centry poet
"As you are , so am I
there is certainly no difference between us
as whiteness inheres in milk
as burnng in fire
as smell in earth
so do i inhere in you always"

Chaitanya 16TH Century
Abhimanyu in Bidagdha Chintamani (on Love)
“It is not fire
But it burns the body
It is not a weapon
But it pierces the heart
It is not an intoxicant
But it intoxicates
It is not a fishing rod
But attracts the fish of the mind"

That Moment - Emergence of Love

There is this moment we wait in each of our lifetimes.

A moment you look forward to , which could help you emerge out to a state of happiness, fullfillment and joy from the egg of everyday montonous living.

That moment is got the energy to boost and fuel you for the rest of your life in all its circumstances and situations and in everything and whatever you do. They are not goals, accomplishments or milestones but something that profoundly touches your body, mind and spirit and leaves an everlasting mark.Goals and milestones are often short lived for there is strife, anxiety and excitement till it is accomplished and life left after they are acheived.

That moment which transforms your inner spirit, stays with you and becomes you will change the way you see the world forever. The heights and depths, the lengths and widths of the immeasurable beauty of creation, you now behold in your heart.

The blessedness and the gratefullness is felt more than expectations and fears in life. That moment is not a concept or an idea whose time has come but a time where you have started to acknowledge and come face to face with reality of the life force, whose tip of the ice berge you have started to see.
That moment is when you have started to love yourself and started to see the world inside and outside of you through it.

When you lose it, the key to the doors of happiness is ever locked
When you dont see it, everything around you becomes dark
When you are challenged, another one opens, eventhough the other is blocked
When you have it, everything that emerges is from that love's inner spark

When you make a mistake?

A's

1. Acknowledge
2. Apologise
3. Action

B's

1. Blazon
2. Balance
3. Become

C's

1. Confess
2. Commit
3. Change

Organized Religion

Excerpt from Carlos Castaneda's Teachings of Don Juan. A very striking similarity of mystical experiences and skillfull narration can be found from Robert Svoboda on his experiences with his teacher Vimalananda in the book ' Aghora, At the Left Hand of God'.

"Any path is only a path and there is no affront , to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times you think it is necessary. Then ask yourself and yourself alone, one question... Does this path have a heart? If it does that path is good, if it doesnt it is of no use."

J Krishnamurti on the very opening day of speech to a crowd of three thousand followers who had been eagerly waiting for 18 years to proclaim the coming of World Teacher , dissolved the very notion of a need for a Guru or an Order by starting with the following words

"I maintain Truth is a Pathless Land, you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion , by any sect . Truth being limitless, unconditioned, is not unaprroachable by any path therefore cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along any particular path. A belief is purely an individual matter but when you try to organize a belief , there exist a lot of people who wants to fit under its umbrella but not strive any more for Truth "

A belief existing as belief is personal, but when it is attempted to be organized it becomes a concept. Concept lay rules and boundaries, hence concept creates conditioning. The conditioning createst rsistance and as long as resistance exist there would be this execution gap (Stephen Covey) that creates Conflicts, which denies peace. The truth is out there for those who want to see it, just try being a part of an organized religion. They work towards the Belief, not on themseleves. They work towards convincing not confirming, they work towards expanding not exploring, they work towards spreading not seeking.

The Path

Walking an unknown path
knowing it is right
the path less travelled
visibly alone, in sight
as sounds of pebbles,
knocks the silence of the night
so does the dirt of my mind
disperse, with a quick insight
i have dug trenches on the path
and have buried my might
all along, surrendering myself
to a friend called fright
i fill old ones, i fall sometimes
dont give up the walk, self incites
dawn seems near, as day fills night
i realise, this way is right as the path becomes bright.

The Wall

Birth : Aug 13 1961
Death: Nov 9 1989

Some of the Inscriptions in the Berlin Wall which was brought down in Nov of 1989

"This wall is only a manifestation of what our societies have built. Will we ever tear down our personal walls?"

"You cant change the world,
But you can change the Facts,
When you change the facts
You change the point of view
when you change the point of view
you change the world"

One would think after the wall was brought down it would be an era of great happiness among the Germans. But in reality, when the wall fell the trenches between the East and West Berlin deepened and the trench deeper than the wall which once stood high. There exist an imaginary Belrin wall in each of our own countries not outside but inside each of us. It requires not Bulldozers but inner fire to melt them down.

TAO

Tao is the One
From One came the Yin Yang
Other theories, None
including that of Big Bang

Everything embodies yin
so as to aspire & desire to win
everything embraces yang
so there is nothin that exist called Sin

Other Side

When you know everything is in you
you are at the height of self development
When you know you are everything
you are at the height of self enlightenment
When you know there is so much to know
you become a disciple
When you know you are that knowledge
you are a master
When you know you have outward courage
you dare to savagely die
When you know have inner wisdom
you dare to peacefully live

Performance & Anxiety

Most of us carry around something which we call the I, the image we want others to see, know or accept about us. We protect, nourish, and toil to maintain, if not for more time surpass to the superlative image we hold about ourseleves.

Self image when threatended affects the behavior of the person. Some would try to maintain a positive self image by doing a set of actions which would stenghten and be confidence building measures of their I, but for others it could create acute inferiority complex. In either case there is a noticeable measure of degradation of their performance, if not worse in the later.

We tend to perform well or at our optimal level when there is less expectations or when the expectation is only from a few people. This is a class of people whose performance is affected by what others think and hold their self images so important. There are few others who perform at their optimal level when the work is given to them casually as everyday task, but who doesnt perform well when then same work is given and being told it is of grave and utmost importance.

Even people who are exceptionally good in a specific work they do and had been workig for years and years on the same can be challenged under pressure. They are confident but still if they accomodate the slightest room of confirming the negativity , it is like a virus uncontrolled and affects the overall performance.

So what happens is a sequence of these steps

1. Society creates a need for self identity while growing.
2. So an image of the self is created.
3. Manuring and Nurturing of the image continues and that image is believed over time to be true self.
4. This image becomes closer to you than anyone else and is thus unconsciously the most precious thing.
5. Everyone has a similar image , sometimes conflicting and hence when they come in contact, each of them feel their image is threatened, fear is invited.
6. A need to protect the image then takes shape, and even without worrying to improve, much of the time is thereafter spent in protecting the image with reasons, excuses, or improving other faculties of oneself to continue building these protective walls.
7. Once set in that mode, the subject fails to understand that these walls are built with bricks of fear and his whole attention is to look through these pores rather than improve what he has.
8. The focus turns from performing to conformance of negativity. Like a juggler in a crowd looking for people who he thinks would want him to fail. Even simple tasks or tasks which was done with relatively less energy and time now requires enormous amount of time and energy because of the stress self imposed.
9. The act of looking outside in search of a negative conformance believing that it exist and believing it will affect is anxiety. Feeling a sense of safety you found it, just keeps you anxious, but for some not having found it but still in search causes the phobias and paranoias.

Measuring Success, by others words creates anxiety
Measuring Success, by inner listening is improvement

Motivating

Motivation is the act of tapping and sustaining the inner energy in accompishing ones wants (goals, ambitions, success, desires, needs, results) by external or internal means. So by its definition one would expect all ambitious people or want to be successfull people to have this energy to acheive their targets that arise out of a need. But yet, there are a lot of people in the majority who cannot acomplish these tasks set for them by them, eventhough having the potential and capability to do so.
Reason for a goal is AMBITION, a cherished DESIRE
The gap that seprates the need to acheive the goal and the potential to do so is the PATH.
The ways of plotting to bridge this gap is the METHOD
The adventure of walking the gap is EXPERIENCE
The mistakes you make along the path is LEARNING
The hope of overcoming the mistakes is DETERMINATION
The art of overcoming mistakes is SKILL
The disasspearance of the gap is SUCCESS
The momentum of energy in accomplishing the above is MOTIVATION

Thus the job of a manager or teacher or a friend is to not brand them as unmotivated but to help make them tap their inner potential and find why the energy is dormant or blocked and make them particpate and put their own efforts to reach their goals.

Instead of pushing solutions on people with the force of your arguement, pull solutions out of them.

Instead of condemning and disowning people, accomodate them by making them accomodate and acheive Success, as their success is your success too.

Instead of always thinking to solve the other person problem, think for a second whether you are their problem?

Get work done, not do their work as your responsibility is to make them feel responsible.

You cant change people, you can make them meet their true self, which they are seeking.

Time

is born, in action
is action, in karma
is karma, in life
is life, in short
is short in desire
is desire in eternity
is eternity in suffering
is suffering in illusion
is an illusion in reality
is in reality lost in love

Himalayan Tradition

I read Living with Himalayan Masters by Swami Rama..

Sankracharya established the ascetic order around 1200 years ago. Most if not all the asectic order tradition traces back to one of the 4 peethas (spiritual centres) set by Sankracharya in North South East and West.

The himlayan tradition Swami Rama recounts called Bharati and india once called as Bharat

Bha means Knowledge
Rati means lover

Bharati is one who is lover of Knowledge. Vedas also translating to Knowledge is the most ancient and sacred authoritative scripture in the tradition.

The Himlayan tradition is non dualistic based on the princeiples of Shankara and princeipally ascetic but has its own set of practices.

Mandukya Upanishad is considered as the most authoritative among Upanishads and knowledge of Sri Vidya is imparted stage by stage along with Prayoga shastra,which explains the practicality and discpline one has to follow in acquiring this knowldge.

Swami Rama explains however he cannot share Prayoga Shastra because it is told 'na Datavyam, na datavyam" meaning dont impart, dont impart , test the disciple to be fully prepared ,commited and self controlled.

The tradition also practices three types of initiation to its disciples

1. Mantra, Breadth awareness and meditation techniques.
2. Worship of Sri Vidhya or Bindu Bhedana (piercing the pearl of wisdom)
3. Shaktipat and awakening the kundalini.

What do you want? (To Myself)

Simple it may sound and already a non chanting obsessive compulsive but disorderly mantra. Clarity in thinking is removal of conflicts. Mere accumulation of knowledge never solves any confusions. It is not because of the lack of data we are confused but becauseof the lack in finding out what we really want. In a choice based sea, where there is always more than one way to chose and sail, only clarity can be the compass. The confusions also arise having to trade someof our likes for some of our wants. The likes are actually habits which one finds difficult to forego becaue of laziness. Laziness is lack of energy applied not the absence of it. The lack of application is because of the absence of purpose or absence of clarity as to what one wants to do. There can be no resistance unless self imposed in finding out what one really wants to do, how to do it then becomes just details. Conflicts are like flakes of snow during winter, as you keep cleaning it keeps covering up, the right action is keep moving proactively forward by clearing the snow ahead and not stand and wait for snow to stop to make the next move. This proactive action can be applied only when we know, what we want to do. Asking what we truly want is the right question and first step of trying to live consciously and actions we do centered around this will bring about awareness. Much of our lives is based on others ideas , opinions and what the conventional thought pattern is. Asking what we want is not even far as an ambition or goal , it is a sincere step to know thyself to take control of one's life in a direction to acheive inner peace.