ClicksandWrites

You too can get enlightened!

Posted on December 25, 2007

You too can get enlightened!
PARAMAHAMSA SRI NITHYANANDA, TNN

We all live at three levels. At the first level, we live in our head. We live using our intellect and logic. The second level is our heart. When we live with our heart, we use our emotions. In the third level we live at the core of our very being. We live in our identity.

When our intellect is heightened, when it ripens, it shines forth as common sense or intelligence. Although called common sense, it is a rare treasure, an uncommon thing on this planet Earth. Emotions can ripen. Deep emotions ripen into faith. When our being ripens it leads to enlightenment.

What is enlightenment? People have several strange notions about this word and concept. Let me explain it in simple words. Enlightenment is simply the experience of our inner energy. Enlightenment is related to the understanding and experience of our inner energy. It is not based on our physical activities, as we presume.

This concept although simple is not easy for people to understand or follow. Many people misunderstand this concept. Be clear: enlightenment is our individual experience. It is our experience of the inner energy.

There is no one who is barred for any reason, an alcoholic, man or woman, this caste or that caste, a criminal, each one is equally eligible for enlightenment as any one else is. A man has no edge over a woman. In fact, a woman lives in a higher energy plane than a man.

A person who claims to have led a pure and chaste life may not get enlightened at all. He has no edge over another who may be considered a sinner by religion and society. They both have the same chance of achieving enlightenment. Anyone can attain this status.

If you ask me, I will say that neither our activities nor actions are related to enlightenment. Enlightenment is within the reach of one and all. Everyone is eligible for enlightenment. Many people may take this as a licence to do whatever they want to do. They can create even bigger problems in the world.

Masters realise the potential problems this assertion can cause to the uninitiated public. That is why they don’t speak about it, freely and generally in public. Let us all work towards our enlightenment. Everyone can reach it, everyone is eligible and everyone is entitled to it. Nothing we do can stop us from reaching that state.

Harness your full and true potential

Posted on December 25, 2007

Harness your full and true potential
K VIJAYARAGHAVAN, TNN

One of the invocations in the performance of Suryanamaskara (the 12 yoga postures of salutations to the sun) is Om Hiranyagarbhaya namah, implying, “salutation to one who awakens our inner capacities and potential”.

This concept is behind one of the Hindu trinities, Vishnu (Padmanabha) reclining peacefully on the serpent, Adisesha, whereupon creativity in the form of Brahma issues forth. Applied to man, resolving the undesirable traits and also transmuting particular base and apparently damaging instincts can help to bring out his true potential and creativity.

This principle also is behind the yogic concept of raising the kundalini sakti (serpent power) to transmute and thus tap the power of even the carnal instincts in man.

Even manic depression and ‘cyclothymia’ (swinging moods) have been shown, through modern studies, as fertile grounds for creativity in various forms — art, poetry and music. Also, anger, irritability, anxieties, and disturbances, in many cases are consequent on the existence of an abiding and powerful creative mechanism within. When analysed and channelled, these act as allies, instead of acting as damaging influences.

James McCartney, in his book, Yoga: The Key to Life sums up the practical working of this concept. He conceives of meditating on two separate triangles. The vertices of the first represent the virtues of light, wisdom and power, while of the second represent the oft-residing traits as restlessness, desire and doubt. When these two triangles unite through superimposition, this verily is yoga which literally means ‘unison’.

The traits, as in the second triangle, now are resolved and manifest in their transmuted forms as peace, health and understanding. This also is the key to J Krishnamurty’s concept of watching, as if like a witness (sakshi bhava), the origin and trends of even apparently damaging thoughts within. It is as if these too are like adversities, which to quote Shakespeare, wears, like an ugly toad, “a precious jewel in his head”!

C Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), in his hymn, conceives of how “the good in every man is like an atom too”, which has to be found, to “explode it into lasting peace”. This, verily, also is the process of harnessing the full and true potential through this process of empowering, cleansing or transmuting the traits within, depending on the nature and specifics of each particular case.

12 Seconds – Doing Things the Wright Way

Posted on December 25, 2007

12 Seconds – Doing Things the Wright Way
from CiteHR, posted by VIJAYA. Y.

Two of the most important people in human history were brothers with a pretty extraordinary dream. Their names were Orville and Wilbur. These two brothers shared the last name of Wright. They were the same Wright brothers who invented modern day flight, as we know it.
On the morning of December 17, 1903, the brothers decided to give their flying machine a test run. They notified a number of newspapers ahead of time so that everyone would be able to read of their accomplishment. Only one newspaper bothered to cover the story, and it was probably only because they knew that a story about a crash and tragedy would be great for their newspaper.

After a coin-toss to decide who would pilot the first attempt, Orville jumped in the seat of the machine. He fired up the engine and after a brief moment he started off down the track they had made to help launch the plane into the sky. As the plane headed down the track I am sure the onlookers were anticipating a tremendous failure and expecting the absolute worse.

Then the miracle happened! The plane reached the end of the track and it actually left the ground! Orville was flying! To everyone’s disbelief the flyer was actually using an engine to fly. Can you imagine the excitement?

Orville hardly had time to be excited because after a humble 12 seconds in the air, the plane fell back to the ground smashing the rudder and breaking a lever off of the engine. Orville had only managed to travel a distance of 120 ft.

They had 12 seconds, 120 feet and a broken airplane to their names.

I am sure the spectators were severely disappointed. Some may have even laughed at the weak attempt at flight. They chalked it up as another failure for these two brothers. Many must have concluded that the brothers were crazy and that engine-powered flight was impossible.

Do you know what the brothers did?

They celebrated! They were so ecstatic that they had managed to fly 12 seconds and a distance of 120 feet! They knew that they were that much closer to flying higher, longer and greater distances! After a quick repair, brother Wilbur jumped in the airplane and had a try at manning the craft.

Their final attempt for the day produced a 59 second flight covering the distance of 852 feet!

These brothers had a vision and there were many who told them it was crazy, many who took action to prevent them from trying to achieve flight and many who were certain it would never be accomplished. The brothers however, never released their vision, their dream and their goal.

Even after what some would have called a failure of their first attempt, when onlookers were shaking their heads and calling the brothers crazy, the brothers celebrated their small victory, fixed the plane and started down the runway again and again until they had perfected it.

The Wright Brothers changed history because of their persistence and vision.

Many of us have things we dream about and a vision for our future but give in and give up at the first sign of opposition and adversity.

Are you focused on your vision? Are you taking the time to celebrate your small victories along the way? Your 12 seconds and 120 feet in the air?

It’s easy to be consumed by a vision for bigger, better and more but we all need to take time to look at what we have already done and see the indicators that we are that much closer to flight. Without a doubt, there will be times when you will crash after barely leaving the ground, leaving your plane in need of repair but celebrate the fact you left the ground. Never release your vision, your dream or your goal.

Make the decision to do things the ‘Wright’ way. Decide to celebrate every small accomplishment along the way to your dreams. Be grateful for every second you spend off of the ground! Even if it’s only for 12 seconds!

Positive Thinking and Your Creative Mind – 7 Steps to Succes

Posted on December 25, 2007

Positive Thinking and Your Creative Mind – 7 Steps to Success
from CiteHR, posted by VIJAYA. Y.

You have a bright idea hidden somewhere in the back of your mind that you just can’t wait to test out. The question is, do you really want to bring it out into the light? What could motivate you to churn your creative, inspiring juices to their utmost flavor?

Did you know that it always helps to set a time limit to your personal goals? Set yourself up so you can accomplish the most tasks in record time. For example, mowing the lawn in an hour before the big game on TV. A correct and positive attitude in whatever you do will make things easier, and even enjoyable.

It’s simple. If you begin to allow yourself a bit of positive thinking then you will begin to realize things that you never thought possible. Thinking big is indeed the American Way and that what made our country prosperous. You can follow other great Americans who tapped into their creative mind and began to thing big..

Discover some tips to make it through your first week of possibility thinking even if you’re just sitting in your favorite couch. Your mind is constantly at work for you. Tap into it’s great resource while doing everyday activities.

1. Act. You must take passionate action towards living your life by design. Talk is cheap. Action = deposits in the bank of a passionately authentic future. My mother (probably quoting someone else) always said, “Action speaks louder than words”. Without action, passion is void.

Dreams become reality when you simply start by tinkering with your mind, then with your hands. And if the idea weakens or falters you can always go back to it later until you finish it. Thomas Edison and his Dream Team had to go back to the idea of a light bulb and recalculate it over 1,000 times before the first working light bulb begin to light the world.

2. Love. Commit to yourself. Then commit to those you love to powerfully create a life you can love. Instead of reacting, commit to creating from your heart and soul, out of love rather than fear. The American Dream will always be there, but a dream will still be a dream without motion. Be amazed as the transformation begins.

3. Live. Embrace moments and opportunities. Recognize and embrace the thought that each moment is perfect regardless of its outcome. Every time you hit on something that may appear too extreme why not give it a shot anyway. See if it will work. You may be surprised with the results. If you are not then decide to use that moment to learn from it and make the appropriate shift. Learning and growing from mistakes and failures is a part of living.

4. Be grateful. Dwell completely in a place of gratitude. Learn to utilize what you have in your hands and make use of it in the most constructive way. Necessity is the mother of invention. Have you ever been stuck without something you needed and had to make do with something else? (MacGyver,from the famous tv show, was famous for that!) How grateful were you that you had the means to solve your situation? Slipping into neediness will become less of a habit when you repeatedly shift towards gratitude and away from poverty consciousness.

5. Be Passionate. Use a Passion Formula of Recognize/Reevaluate/Restore in place of the Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda whirlwind. The former is based on increased knowledge and abundance while the latter focuses on scarcity and lack. As you face people or tasks that may seem harder than scaling the summit of the Himalayas, allow yourself to realize that the task is just as important as giving out orders to your subordinates. You would rather be richly passionate!

6. Laugh. Keep humor at the forefront of thought, laughing at and with yourself whenever possible. You may find yourself quite entertaining when you loosen up! I have yet to see a comedian ever go hungry even though his jokes are as ‘old as great-grandma’. Life has too much to offer to allow yourself to mope around in self pity. Humor is very attractive, very passionate: life-giving.

7. Discover Your Purpose. Believe that you are the architect of your destiny. Realizing how you wish to be remembered when you pass from this life is a truly driving force. Your purpose for being can be a seemingly simple as being a great parent to as elaborate as discovering miraculous cures.

When you have a strong purpose no one can take your passionate future from you except for you! Truly, as long as there’s still breath in your body, there is no end to how much you can accomplish in a lifetime. Discovering and following your purpose will enable you to enjoy your work. Celebrate in the discovery that acting on your creative mind’s thoughts is fulfilling your purpose. Watch everything flow into place with perfect, passionate precision.

Activate your positive thinking. Stretch your imagination. Think bigger than you feel comfortable. Act on your thoughts. The number one tip here is action. You want to start practicing these steps.

Think about this: It is unfortunate that so many people still do not use a computer because it appears too complicated to begin using. Or maybe they just keep putting it off till a more convenient time. These are just a couple of limitations one can set up for themselves. Limitations and failure to act on ideas and opportunities leave many as a dim bulb in a dark corner.

Alert! You are not doomed to darkness. You are interested in living a life of purpose and love. The wonderful, creative idea in you is about to be released. You are interested in doing this because you are reading this article. Fortunately if you truly desire something, the will to attain it will open your creative mind to find a way.

Now you need only to begin to act on your desire to create. Act now! Make your path to creativity and follow your purpose. Take your first step today with a positive attitude.