urban oasis

building relationships

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:48:00 +0000

In a world where human beings are running after materialistic objects, we need to stop, pause and think. Where will this Massive Rat Race lead us? Our destinations often seem to be blurred by our vision towards perfection and on the win or lose factor as if we are in some game being played in the sports field in school or national/international contests. The fact remains as to who are we competing against? How much can we satisfy our bodily needs through whatever we gain from this ‘tournament’? And even after we satisfy ourselves, are we REALLY happy??! We run after happiness seeking happiness in the fulfillment of earthly desires which give us only temporary contentment. In order to secure happiness totally, it is very important for us to realize as to who we actually are and in fact , WE are different from the materialistic bodies we inhabit.

The Bhagvad Gita says , “ As the embodied Soul continually passes in this body from boyhood , to youth, to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at Death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.”

Somewhere , sometime I had come across an article in a newspaper which stated that scientifically speaking old cells in the body are replaced by new cells every seven years. What, does not change is one’s Consciousness. And that is……..the…….SOUL. This is further described in the Bhagvad Gita as follows:-

‘As the sun illuminates all in this universe, so does the soul , one within the body illuminate the entire body by consciousness.’

The complexities of life coupled with innumerable number of temptations belonging to the world of ‘Maya’ [make believe], keep us from establishing a direct communication with God. God, who is perceived as a symbol or a form actually has no shape. It is for our own convenience and our means of relating to God that we, as human beings, have given the Almight shape and gender. For us to gain happiness in the Real sense, we have to nurture the soul till such time we are able to touch the Supreme Soul or God. He is there, always present in the Inner Temple of Silence, that is our heart and asks for nothing more than Love. Once ,one realizes this, this Call of the Soul beckons him to be united with the Almighty through Yoga. Yoga means to unite and by practicing which one becomes gradually freed from his attraction towards material enjoyment and is attracted instead to the Supreme Soul.

When we mention Yoga in today’s world , images of various postures conjures up in our mind. However, yoga is much more than this. Through this method sense control and self control is achieved. Only by regular practice of meditation self-realization and a lasting experience of inner happiness can be obtained. Guru or the dispeller of darkness comes forward here.

Lucky are those whose Souls have been beckoned at the Call of the Supreme Power to spread the message of peace and love. In a world where weapons are created to destroy masses, diseases spread everywhere, international terrorism rising by leaps and bounds with every passing day, communal riots, we all need to strive for World Peace. This can be possible if only we build relations based on true faith and confidence in each other.

Often it has been perceived that Time has healed those relations which due to circumstances had drifted apart. But it takes both the human beings involved in a particular relation to withstand the test of time and re-join their threads of amity. Patience and Perseverance are the Key ingredients to a successful relation on earth. Unfortunately many of us do not pay heed to such little but important aspects which a relationship requires to nurture. Giving each other respect as a human being and space for growth is very necessary. Just as a plant is nurtured with utmost care , a relationship also needs the same amount of nurturing for sustenance. For it is then when we can live in peace and harmony.

Those relations with whom we are connected by birth or come across by means of social/legal attachments are always there…………..yet, somehow I find that those relations which need the loving care and respect which they have been deprived of are the ones that require our attention. For example the under privileged, people in old age homes or children in orphanages. When we empathise with them, we become a part of themselves ….. CARE & ENCOURAGEMENT to move on in life by helping them lead better lives. A lot many I am sure will agree to the fact that it is our moral duty to encourage humanity thus supporting a good cause. Care inspires and gently reassures us. Lending us a feeling of security and support it reinforces our connection with others. Not only is it one of the best things we can do for our health but it feels good whether we are giving or receiving it.

I end this note with my heartfelt gratitude towards the Almighty to have given me the opportunity to share my thoughts with you friends. God Bless You. May You find Peace & Contentment in Life.

Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 11:06:00 +0000

How will you define creativity? Is it something that is purely genetic or is it something one learns as we grow up ? We must first have a good understanding in a nutshell as to what CREATIVITY is all about .

Creativity is the ability to produce something new through imaginative skill, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form. The term generally refers to a richness of ideas and originality of thinking. Motivation plays a crucial role in the creative process. It is not enough to have unusually high levels of skill or a deep conceptual understanding.

At this point or juncture I choose not to elaborate further on making this issue a boring affair by giving you Lecture [lol !!!!] on Creativity. Rather I would lay emphasis on the part that is associated with it and that is the Well Being of the individual. When Motivation is THE THEME of this blog then may I assure you that Creativity is the ideal manner which keeps one motivated !

Having the ability to come up with creative ideas can help you each and every day with all of the following:

• Solve everyday problems more efficiently and effectively.
• Turn problems into opportunities.
• Find new ways of doing things.
• Find creative ways to generate more income.
• Create new products, processes, and services.
• Become indispensable to your organization.
• Develop the ability to make do with whatever is at hand to reach your goals.
• Generate ideas for artistic pursuits such as writing, drawing, composing, photography, and so on.
• Find unexpected ways to resolve conflicts.
• Lead a more fulfilling life by being “a creator”.

Obviously you can take the help of certain books written by experienced people in order to enhance whatever is your capability as one always is not sure about his or her own innate positive capabilities.

At www.amazon.com you will find books which help you reach your levels. One such is

“How to Be More Creative – A Handbook for Alchemists”: Your Guide to Leading a More Creative Life

by Marelisa Fabrega ;

apart from this you will also find several books in www.pustakmahal.com which can act as a guide to enhance your capabilities and get the most out of Life. :)

After all being engaged in work or anything which will bring happiness to you or to your family and friends definitely contributes in everyone's well being.

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:21:00 +0000

http://thisshouldhelp.net/

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:11:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:08:00 +0000

Its all a question of belief

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:58:00 +0000

Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986), starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system,Dianetics .Dianetics is a set of ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body and are practised by followers of Scientology. Hubbard coined Dianetics from the Greek stems dia, meaning through, and nous, meaning mind.

Dianetics explores the existence of a mind with three parts: the conscious "analytical mind," the subconscious "reactive mind", and the somatic [soma in Greek means body & this is the mind that is related to the body] mind. The goal of Dianetics is to remove the so-called "reactive mind" that scientologists believe prevents people from becoming more ethical, more aware, happier and saner. The Dianetics procedure to achieve this is called "auditing". Auditing is a process whereby a series of questions are asked by the Scientology auditor, in an attempt to rid the auditee of the painful experiences of the past which scientologists believe to be the cause of the "reactive mind".Dianetics uses a counseling technique known as auditing, developed by Hubbard to enable conscious recall of traumatic events in an individual's past.Scientology beliefs revolve around the Thetan, the individualized expression of the cosmic source, or life force, named after the Greek letter theta (θ).The thetan is the true identity of a person – an intrinsically good, omniscient, non-material core capable of unlimited creativity.

There are various methods by which you can deal through stress and other problems which one usually can not tackle without a guideline. For example the method as mentioned above or by Past Life Regression Therapy as practised by many in various parts of India as well as abroad. This was founded by Dr Brian Weiss, a psychotherapist who practises in Miami, South Florida. Many Lives Many Masters is the true story of a psychiatrist, his ’extraordinarily attractive’ young patient who worked as a lab technician in his hospital and the PAST LIFE THERAPY that changed both of their worlds.

Past life regression is an accepted practice in the west and you can find hundreds of centres and practitioners in all major cities.Universally the doctors & human race at large are now slowly accepting that one has to heal the mind also along with the body to bring about desired process of healing.

Let me ask you a question .What will be your reaction when you regress and realise that you had lived earlier and will live again after death?
I think, some may become more reckless! After all this is not the only life I have, the thought will cross the mind and also that this is not the end! While on the other hand, some may become more responsible when they realise that everything you do is being accounted for & that whatever you do now will have its implications in next life.

Many Lives, Many Masters is an interesting book. Since it is written by a prominent psychiatrist, and is based on true case observations, it becomes more acceptable while intriguing. For people who are interested in exploring "life after death "theories, it offers some fascinating facts.
Though there are many books, which may discuss this subject, but Dr. Brian Weiss has taken us as close to the truth as possible through his main character, Catherine. Catherine has everything one could want from life - a good husband, happy family , and yet, she finds herself getting depressed, not exactly knowing the reason, why. She begins to withdraw from her surroundings, struggling with her inner demons and finally, by the time she reaches Dr. Weiss for treatment, she is a wreck.

Intrigued, Dr Weiss turns to hypnosis to help Catherine understand the reason of her traumas. It is then, based on what Catherine reveals in the subliminal state of her session, is what shocks Dr. Weiss and us, readers too. It sounds so unbelievable and yet, it can't be a fallacy, for Catherine is not even aware she spoke what she did till Dr. Weiss plays the tape for her to work out if she can connect all that with her present in anyway. The subsequent hypnotic sessions reveal deeper mysticism that exists in this world or should I say the other world. Whatever conclusion or should I say, thought provoking beginning, each individual will draw from this book, one thing is true-it sure is based on the facts and not a fabrication weaved out of the author's imagination, and that is the selling point of this book.

Here I would like to add my personal viewpoint about this book

Am sure, many have heard of Patanjali. The concept of Past Life Therapy is as old as Patanjali’s YOGA DARSHAN which was written around the 4th century BC.He talks about the soul(CHITTA) being burdened with the impressions or samskaras of karmas from previous births.I would like to mention about one more timeless treasure of our country , the book "Bhagavadgita", which also tells you that your soul leaves this body and accepts another body just as you shed old clothes to wear fresh ones.!

These are just a few examples to show that we are much more than a body . Basically it is the concept of Karma which I am emphasizing. In this Life or the past which ever you choose to believe the discretion is your's entirely. On a different note, if you want to pick up the strewn parts of your life and gather them in one stream you better start acting on it from NOW.

There is no time other than NOW, according to me. If there was a past in which you or I have made mistakes, suffered, then , it is time to LET GO of it and begin AFRESH.

EMBARK ON A JOURNEY CALLED LIFE REPLETE WITH POSITIVE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS. Its not every day that one comes across a person or experiences something inspiring. Self Inspiration is what I believe in and I promise you, each one of us can do this, provided we WANT TO !

There is no time other than NOW, according to me. If there was a past in which you or I have made mistakes, suffered, then , it is time to LET GO of it and begin AFRESH.

PART 4

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:13:00 +0000

Freedom and Free Will

It's because we are so trapped in our culture, in the being of being human on this planet with the brains we have, and the same two arms and legs that everybody else has. We're so trapped that any way we could imagine to escape would be just another part of the trap. Anything we want, we're trained to want." [my emphasis]......Chuck Palahnniuk

Between two clouds there is an interval and that interval is the sky. Between our thoughts there is also an interval and that is our own Consciousness, a consciousness that never sleeps. By giving more value to the intervals than the thoughts we can slow down the thoughts, let our attention rest in the intervals and discover our Freedom.

Within the world of thought and the world of form that thoughts picture, there appears to be billions of choices we could make, but what we see as choice is an illusion. Is it really a choice when our minds appear to tell us what to think and do? This is not freedom but entrapment. Freedom comes from turning our attention to the Presence that is aware of all our wayward thoughts (as we just did in the experiment) and follow that instead..... to do this is to follow our own Free Will.

A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed. It feels an impulsion...... this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons"........Richard Bach.

PART 3

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Self enquiry
So, instead of just adding to the slush-pile of philosophical debate or relying on any self-help snake oil, we can take a far simpler and more direct approach to the most fundamental of all questions, "Who am I?". We can just sit still for a few minutes, temporarily suspend our understanding and past judgements about who we think we are, and then take a direct look and take note of what we see.

Here's a little experiment to try. It's as well for the purpose of this exercise to do whatever you need to do, to not have the act of actually reading the words be a distration from doing what the words suggest.

Take a few moments now to let your mind relax a little.

Just as we can be aware of the feelings and movements in our body we can also step back from our thoughts and simple watch them.

We are not normally aware of our thoughts - one thought arises which then leads to another and then another, until we become lost in our own world. But right here, right now, step back in your mind and simply be aware of your thoughts as they come and go.

Just watch them for a few moments, nothing more. Simply sit still and wait for a thought to arise and then just be aware of that thought without following it or attaching any meaning to it. This is something we can all do. Simply watch them slowly come and go.

Feels good doesn't it?

And just watch that thought come and go too.

Now, as we are doing this, simply be aware of who is doing the watching, the feeling of your own Presence.

Who we think we are, our self concept, is in the realm of thought - those things that we are stepping back from right now and are able to watch. But who we really Are is who it is that's doing the watching.

You can see now that they are two distinctly separate entities. Who we really Are is the observer.

As we are aware of our Self watching our thoughts, recognize now that who we really Are cannot be known or deducted from thought. Who we really Are can only be known through this awareness, through direct experience.

This is a simple yet profound understanding that is easy to forget but can stand us in great stead.

So what was the point of this little exercise?

It can help us see that who we think we are cannot be true.^[1] Who we think we are is bound up in thought - those things our real Self has just been watching. As we start to step back from our everyday thinking mind and allow ourselves to relax deeper into the experience of our true Self we recognise it as far more intelligent, alive, creative, loving, resourceful and unlimited than anything our thoughts could even conceive of.^[2]

With a little practice in stepping back and simply observing our bodies and thoughts in motion we begin to not only recognize that who we thought we were is tied up in these things that we see changing, but also recognize that this true Self that is doing the watching, is in itself unchanging. Our true Self isn't made up of matter that can be destroyed or thoughts that come and go; it is the pure intelligence that is aware of these things. It has no beginning or end, it never grows old or gets tired, it doesn't need to struggle to achieve anything at all, needs no maintenance whatsoever and isn't constrained by any limited self- concept or belief.

As this awareness of our own Presence becomes more and more tangible to us we also start to recognize, incredible as it may seem, that although our genius is expressed in our own unique way, this Presence is the same creative intelligence that we all share. Healing and great creative works takes no effort - just the ability to get out of our own way so our own true nature can shine through. This Presence is always there, is always shining. We can never lose it, only deny it.

As we have just experienced, there is no effort or journey required to access the awareness of our true Self - it's an acceptance of what already Is and that requires no effort, just a relaxing into this feeling of Presence that is growing within us and is always trying to get our attention. Life delights to set us free, we need only stop resisting it. This is so simple, direct and easy to do it is almost universally overlooked.

PART 2

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:12:00 +0000

The trouble with words
Maybe we've read that we are capable of so much more than we can imagine, that we are not limited to what the body is capable of, or we easily transcend and heal our 'mortal frame'. These ideas can seem very attractive but are rarely compelling or useful, because they describes something that is not in our own field of experience; and words alone can never take us from one experience to another. Thought and intellect don't move us forward, they can only take us to the water edge, to the point where are willing to doubt what we think is true in order to open ourselves to a greater awareness and knowing. We can intellectually understand the ideas that words convey, but to really 'know' something, to let self-change happen, we need to be able to experience it for ourselves without the veil that our thoughts and beliefs impose.

But why would we want to attempt to believe what others tell us anyway? Don't we all have the capacity to look at 'what is', and then report back what we find? We all do have this capacity but so very rarely use it, preferring instead to talk about what we think and believe is true. We value our opinions and beliefs so highly we mostly avoid asking ourselves the most fundamental questions; and forget to use our own power of observation to simply show us 'what is'.

Who are YOU ?

noreply@blogger.com (Nabanita) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:11:00 +0000

Imagine that I wheeled a really big blackboard in front of you, drew a white dot in the centre of it, and then asked you, "What do you see?"

What would you reply?

Probably ninety-five percent of us will say, "I see a white dot".

But what about the blackboard? Such a big blackboard and yet we focus on a white dot.

Why?
Because this is the pattern of the mind: We are accustomed to looking at the figure not the background.

It is this fascination with the trees instead of the forest that can blind us to a far greater awareness of reality.......we seem to have a real problem with seeing the bigger picture. We will see clouds and not the sky; see individual life 'forms' instead of feeling the Presence of life itself; recognise thoughts instead of the Consciousness that all thought arises in; and focus on specific news, 'good' or 'bad', without recognising the one perfect process of Self-realisation that is always going on in the background.

But no matter how convincing an argument someone makes that this or anything else is true, it does us little good. Why? Because words alone don't change us.