Fly High

More Paintings

2026-09-21T20:04:59.866+03:00

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Meditating Women

Buddha

New Painting

2026-09-21T19:58:03.518+03:00

“My heart bleeds in love for all beings “ A painting long due came Life - Tanu Shree

Let's not take life for granted...

2026-09-21T19:12:24.694+03:00

How do you celebrate your birthday?

Celebrating my birthday today,
I spend moments
in reflection, in gratitude.

SO much has been bestowed
upon me through this life,
I wish to remind myself
of these blessings today.

I wake up each day in a healthy body,
alive & breathing,
surrounded by my beloved family,
happy, healthy & joyful.

Blessed with a safe, secure
environment & I look forward
to working with wonderful, kind
people, in a job that gives me joy,
fulfills mine & my family’s needs abundantly.

Blessed with a peaceful being (earned with hard work & effort),
it is a tremendous blessing to BE in most moments in life…
with an empty mind, feeling deeply.
I feel supremely grateful for this blessing.

Blessed with guidance in this life, since a young age
to turn inwards,
to seek and find…
the eternal within me, while
living an abundant worldly life.

Blessed with SO many beings around the world
in different forms and relationships
whom I can love and
whom I receive love from,
fulfills me deeply.

For all the moments lived &
for all the blessings received
I have only a heart full of love,
eyes full of tears, and
hands folded in deep gratitude...
for giving me this birth,
for bringing me into this world.

And…for all the moments to come in this life…

I pray to Be Here & Now always
& to keep my hands folded
& head bowed down
in deep gratitude FOREVER.

What did I ever do
to receive so much, O beloved!
Your grace is Infinite!

- Tanu Shree

Just Be

2026-08-09T05:08:41.446+03:00

New Poem - Just Be

How will you know
the MAGIC of LIFE
if you don’t stop
to Just BE.

Just BE.
Being free.
Doing nothing.
With nothing.

How, my dear, will you know
the Magic of Life
if you don’t stop
to Just BE?

What do you need
to stop and Just BE?

A big house?
A high-paying job?
A good partner?
A family?
A foreign vacation?

What do you need
to just stop
and BE?

Nothing.
Except yourself.
Nothing.
Except yourself.

It becomes easy to Just BE
when you ask yourself one question:

What if I die today?
Is this a frightening question to ask?
Remembering the truth
cannot be good or bad…

Forgetting the truth
keeps us missing
this moment,
the next moment,
the next day,
this entire life,

until it is too late
to realize

there is no time left
to stop
and JUST BE.

My dear,
How will you know
the magic of life
if you don’t stop
to Just BE?

- Tanu Shree

This poem and all art work on this blog is copyright of Tanu Shree

Whats does Success mean to you ?

2026-07-13T21:04:14.139+03:00

What does success mean to you?

Many years ago, being graduated as a Computer Engineer and working in one of the prestigious organizations in the R&D team then, I resigned and took a break.

I became a professional photographer, and I felt successful there too.

Then, for personal reasons, I had to return to IT after a 4-year gap.

It was quite challenging at that time for me,

I was failing interviews,

I had lost confidence in my coding

And every time I opened LinkedIn, I saw everyone else growing in their careers, while I did not even have a job.

Eventually I joined a large organization and started working in Big Data in 2012. That was the beginning of the path that led me into AI and LLM architecture years later.

When I joined back IT, I was quite surprised to see that my break, and choosing a unique career path, had given me a vast perspective, maturity, where people continued to grow in a vertical path of role-based progression. I also noticed that I was so assertive, could talk to people at all levels irrespective of hierarchy. My short varied, experience had made me more mature and more fulfilled.

Since then, success for me has been Fulfillment.

My Career has been my own navigation, with 0 competition with anyone else.

It is purely,

where I want to be,

how I want to be

what I want to contribute.

I have made multiple decisions to choose a challenging path over a straight or seemingly easier one, inclined towards a deeper experience, that can make me more mature.

Over time I have learnt to be PRESENT - Here and Now. 21 years of inner exploration does teach you that, and it turns out presence is not separate from leadership. It is the foundation of it.

And I feel super successful in life, because I can enjoy everything that I have.

Time with my loved ones, friends, health, wealth, abundance, work, meetings, challenges, AI, art, you name it. If it is in my life, I have chosen it and I am loving it with all my heart.

It has not been easy to be here feeling this way, and I had to choose the paths less trodden, multiple times, but it is so worth it.

This is success for me.

The definition of success for me is completely different from what the society or the systems train us for.

What does success mean for you?

What do you think is the greatest luxury of life ?

2026-05-15T19:46:53.164+03:00

I love luxuries...I have always wished to live a life of Supreme Luxury...

Growing up in a humble family, I thought that luxury was in the material luxuries of money, clothes, cars, five-star hotels, vacations in beautiful places...

While these have a role to play, but soon I realized that on the pyramid of luxury, material luxuries was the minimum experience of luxury.

As my experiences of life grew, I learnt that luxury was to have a lot of free time with myself, and the freedom to make my own life choices, living a life on my own terms whatsoever. These are no more luxury for me, but a solid foundation of living a fulfilled life.

But as I am maturing and learning, I realize that the supreme luxury of life is something that most people miss.

Supreme luxury of life is …

To be able to touch our loved ones while they are alive and around us. The luxury of human touch and feeling the emotion associated wirb it…

It may be the blossoming heart, of feeling my child's breath on my face as I wake up, and being in the eternity of this moment

It may be feeling the touch of my beloved and an electric signal passing through me...and feeling grateful for the deep, old bond which is still so new and alive every moment.

It may be seeing the wrinkles, greying of hair on the faces of my aging parents, and their faces becoming more beautiful and child like....feeling the gratitude of being present with them in each passing day

It may be to hold my old and aging mother, as if she is my daughter....haaaaa!!!!!!!!! what a supreme luxury it is to simply be able to experience life in ALL its RICHNESS, in ALL its colours, in ALL its ALIVENESS

Luxury to me is a heart warming chit chat with a beloved friend...and the gratitude of us wanting to meeting each other, inspite of the years going by...

Luxury is to have the power to stand up for those beings (human, animal or trees) who cannot stand up for themselves, and the moment of TRUST, a VIBRATION, a soft look in their eyes...

HA! What a supreme luxury it is!

And somtimes, luxury is to just sit on the swing, and do nothing...

Oh! what a supreme luxury it is to BE ALIVE, and EXPERIENCING ALL the LITTLE THINGS of LIFE.

It is always the LITTLE THINGS that make it all valueable at the end

not the one big vacation, or the one big party, or the one expensive car...

In the PYRAMID of LUXURY,

LOVE and the EXPERIENCE of it in all its beautiful forms shades of life, is the ULTIMATE Luxury.

There is beauty in everything and everyone around us,

the SUPREME Luxury is to see it in the mundane, routine life, and transform it into something EXQUISITE.

My heart throbs with gratitute for blessing me with this life of SUPREME LUXURY.

The dream that woke me up...

2026-05-15T17:29:44.009+03:00

Last night before sleeping, I asked the universe for inspiration. And what came was not what I expected.

I had a dream.

In the dream, "I was hiding with my child in a large dark building, and I was hearing the noise of bullets outside. From the window I noticed some gunmen came and shot bullets at some random people, and there were just some dead bodies lying around. I also saw some people/leaders who had an agenda.

While I was still hiding in the large dark building, looking out of the window, when I looked around me, my child was not there.

What I experienced in the dream cannot be expressed in words, but I felt like to just go out in front of the bullets to find my child,

and I woke up...".

As I woke up from what I can later call a nightmare, I was so relieved to find my child sleeping safely beside me

I felt tremendously grateful to be safe and secure and that my family is safe and secure.

What I saw in my nightmare, is unfortunately a reality for so many people in this world.

Being a human and having lived and worked with people from many diverse cultures, I can quiet safely confirm, that what most human beings want is the safety and well-being of their loved ones.

Years ago, I asked myself a question: What can I do to make this world a better place?

And I found an answer that changed everything: "If you want to change the world, change yourself first."

So I did.

I spent years working on myself, to transform:

my anger into patience,

my anxiety into self-trust,

my fear into courage,

my emotional instability into stability,

my mental turmoil into deep inner peace,

my attachment into compassion.

I have learnt to be compassionate to others because I have been tremendously kind to myself.

This is what meditation did for me. Meditation is learning the art of knowing the self through many different ways.

---

For me, it all begins with Being Human.

Being kind to ourselves first. Because we cannot be kind to others unless we know how to be kind to ourselves.

This is how I am trying to make this world a better place. By being human. By being compassionate. One person at a time.

This is why I do what I do. This is why I share. Not because I have all the answers, but because I found an inner light that transformed me from within and I have seen it do the same for others, again and again.

What do you think? How can we make this world a better place? We are here, this earth is our home, and we must do something to ensure our next generation gets to live a beautiful life.

If something in this letter stirred something in you, trust that feeling.

You are already on the path.

With warmth and light,

Tanu Shree

Let us celebrate - Being Human

2026-05-14T20:59:20.605+03:00

Let us celebrate the joy of

Simply Being Human...
of simply relating with another human being
from any religion, class, creed, color, gender, country or culture with
the same heartful SMILE,
the same warmth ...
the same heart to heart conversation.

Oh, what a Joy it is!
of simply being a human

Let us celebrate the joy of
Simply Being Human...
of sharing another human's sadness
of sharing another human's happiness
of being with the other in pain
of being with the other in celebration

Oh, what a Joy it is!
of simply being a human

Let us celebrate the joy of
Simply Being Human...
of not feeling lonely
of sharing the hugs with the loved ones
of remembering the memories, both happy or sad..
of the magic of waking up to this beautiful life each day
of seeing our loved ones growing old each day
but with the bond deepened through love and care

Oh, what a Joy it is!
of simply being a human

Let us celebrate the joy of
Simply Being Human...
of including others into our lives
and experiencing our hearts opening up
to more and more fulfillment
to more and more joy
of simply being human

- Tanu Shree

My daughter asked me - Mama, why do we celebrate Women's Day?

2026-03-08T18:27:00.018+03:00

"My daughter asked me, 'Mama, why do we celebrate Women's Day?'
"My dear child," I said, "there is a history behind it."
"Tell me about it, Mom."
"Sure. You must know, sooner rather than later, the value and the struggles behind this celebration."

"I was born in India. My mother (one of seven sisters) had to struggle to get an education and to work. In those times, women were not given basic education, and they were not financially independent. They were trained and prepared only to get married and serve the man and his family. Their life decisions—such as getting married, becoming a mother, and others—were not their own; instead, these were generally taken for them (with a few exceptions)."

"Because my mother struggled for her education and job, I did not have to go through the same struggle. I had to fight for other rights as a woman, especially in terms of the equality of women and men."

"For many centuries, women have been treated as a secondary gender, and somehow they were conditioned in a way that made them lack self-respect and basic freedom. After centuries of standing up for one's rights, many of us have reached a point where we are financially independent, have self-respect, and feel empowered to make our own life decisions."

"But my dear child, freedom always comes with tremendous responsibility. When I know I am powerful, I need to be sensitive, empathetic, loving, and fearless, so that my freedom serves me and does not further cage me."

"For example, woman's freedom is not about dressing like a man or becoming an imitation of a man. In fact, being a woman means being deeply feminine—so fully comfortable in one's own sensitivity that the beauty of femininity blossoms from your aura."

"Being a woman is having immense self-respect for being able to create another life and nurture it. Being a woman means cherishing the openness of the heart to care deeply for all beings—human beings or animals—just as Mother Nature cares for and nurtures us all."

"And my dear child, when a woman truly discovers her inner strength, she also supports the man in being a man. Like Shiva and Shakti, they unite to become ONE whole—knowing fully well that they are already whole, already ONE with all that exists."

"Celebrating Women's Day is celebrating that humanity has come a long way in honoring women—and yet it still has a long way to go, until the day when there will be no need to celebrate Women's Day at all."

- Tanu Shree

One of my favorite creations to depict the Power of Woman, on this Woman's Day

Are you using Technology Or are you being used by it ?

2026-03-03T19:59:00.004+03:00

Some of us belong to a generation that watched technology grow from almost nothing to the exponentially expanding world of AI we live in today. We grew up outdoors—no TV, no phone, no gadgets. Just long afternoons, friends, family, and unhurried conversations. And now? We can work from home. Groceries arrive at the door. Flights and trains are one click away.

So the question arises: Was then better, or is now better?
For anyone who has learned to use technology without being used by it, this era is truly wonderful. Used consciously, technology gives us something priceless: time.

As I write this, I’m sitting in warm sunlight, feeling its soft rays on my hands while children play downstairs. I’m grateful I don’t have to stand in long queues or push through crowded stores. I can design my days with intention. We don’t have a television at home, and we keep our mobile usage disciplined. Because of that, we spend real time talking as a family—sharing daily dinners, heartfelt conversations, sometimes with soothing music in the background. We go for walks. We dance or paint with our child. We read every day. The possibilities feel endless.
Technology has given me more time with myself—but only because of this:
I remain the master of technology. I use it; it doesn’t use me.
No endless scrolling.
No reacting to every notification.
Clear boundaries around work and devices keep us present and aware.

Yet the irony is - we are constantly trying to reclaim time through AI and automation, while forgetting how to be free and being with oneself.

Learning to be free is becoming significant in the age of AI.
Learning to master technology — rather than being mastered by it — will determine whether we benefit from this technological revolution or feel overwhelmed by it.

So how do we do this?

The Three Simple Practices

1. Create gadget-free spaces
No mobiles or gadgets in the bedroom
No devices in common family areas (keep a dedicated gadget corner instead)
No phones or TV during meals — just family time, presence, and gratitude for food

2. Protect personal time
Schedule boundaries on phone and mute notifications during personal hours.

3. Respect transition hours
Avoid screens at least 1–2 hours before sleep and for 1 hour after waking up.
Using phones before sleep disrupts rest and can contribute to insomnia. The moments before sleeping and after waking are deeply influential — whatever we consume during these times settles into our subconscious.
These are ideal hours for meditation, gentle music, reflection, reading, or a quiet walk.
Begin your day by connecting with yourself — not with a screen.

By practicing small acts of digital discipline, we often discover greater happiness, deeper relationships, and improved productivity.

Do you already practice any of these habits? I would love to hear your thoughts.

- Tanu Shree

The Power Is In You

2026-02-02T18:12:00.006+03:00

Nothing in this world,

can make you sad—
except your own self.

The power is IN YOU.

Nothing can make you anxious or depressed,
except your own self.
The power is IN YOU.

Nothing can make you angry or hateful.
except your own self.
The power is IN YOU.

But I understand your pain.
I understand your confusion.
No one has ever talked to you like this.
No one has ever told you
that the power is IN YOU.

Or maybe someone did,
and you took it lightly,
and you took your weakness seriously.

But, my dear one,
let me remind you again—

Let nothing of this world
make you happy or sad,
anxious or peaceful,
angry or patient,
depressed or joyful,
hateful or loving—

except your own self.
The power is IN YOU.

Reclaim your power.
Reclaim your glory.
Because—

the Power is

IN YOU.

- Tanu Shree

Honoring the Masters

2026-01-02T18:24:00.004+03:00

For me, A Master is the live example of our ULTIMATE POTENTIAL.

The master knows,

The master guides,

The master reminds

Our Limitless Being

Our Oneness with the Supreme Consciousness.

I bow down to all the Masters!

- Tanu Shree

2026 - Let us bring our attention to the Present Moment

2026-01-01T19:42:00.006+03:00

Life is mysterious, we might know it or not.

The one who dives into one-self, find the deep mysteries that life has to offer ...
That is also what makes life fulfilling.

When I see 2026 - a whole New Year ahead of me,
I see INFINITE POSSIBILITIES!
I see opportunities to live at my peak potential
I see millions of moments available
To be loving,
To be peaceful,
To be creative,
To be joyous,
To BE with the loved ones with the whole of our presence.

Even though the whole new next year is available to us,
The beauty is...
that it all begins with just
ONE MOMENT AT A TIME
JUST THIS MOMENT
JUST THIS NOW

When this moment is lived with our total presence,
our total attention brought to the present moment,
with ALL of our senses here and now ...
Our eyes are looking around at the people and everything that is surrounding us in this moment.
Our ears listening to the sounds, without any judgement ...
Our senses of smelling, tasting and feeling with total awareness, whatever this moment is offering to each one of us, wherever we are....

It is such a precious little moment
When lived with our total presence HERE and NOW
This LITTLE PRECIOUS MOMENT has the potential
To transform the entire year, and our entire life
Into a WONDER FILLED ride.
Just ONE MOMENT AT A TIME
Just THIS MOMENT
JUST THIS NOW

Life IS Mysterious,
This MOMENT HERE AND NOW is powerful
but it also passes by quickly
the moment our attention moves away to the past or future.

In 2026, let's bring our attention to the present moment
and
live as Presence every moment
and
see the MAGIC of LIFE Unfolding for us.

Happy New Year!

With deep gratitude, and blessings for a wonder-filled year and life ahead!

Tanu Shree
healandknow
Be a Light Unto Yourself
Website | Instagram | Youtube | Blog

Let us Reflect on the Life lived in the past year

2025-12-01T18:04:00.005+03:00

Reflections are powerful.

Spending some time with oneself, reflecting on how we have lived the life in the past year.
Was I able to BE in the moments?
or
the moments just passed by without me even realizing it.

Did I experience some moments of peace, gratitude, lovingness?
or
was it full of stress, anxiety and restlessness?

For a few days, let's take a break and see the life that we have lived, and also reflect on how I want to live the next year.
Let's write down, what is it that I want to do in the upcoming new year.

What are my priorities?
How do I want to live my life?

In the initial years of my life, I used to ask myself this question a lot,
If I have to live my life all over again, would I like to live it?
I found that my answer was "No", but then consistently asking this question,
I noticed my answer changed to "Yes".
It is always "Yes" for many years.

What changed is that I intentionally prioritized time on what makes me truly happy instead of just living a routine life.
I prioritized time spent with my loved ones, and not using my phone.
I spend a few minutes of my day reading, or painting vs watching Netflix.
I started relaxing more and more while doing the little things and even my work productivity improved exponentially.
Small changes when done consistently transform the course of life in the long run.

But it all started with writing down my reflections and asking myself this question.
So, this December I am going to take a break and reflect again on the life lived in the year 2025 and how I want to live my life in 2025.

I am going to visit my reflection journal and see how I started my new year and whether, I really used my time wisely or is there still a scope of improvement.
:) :) :)

Do share your stories if you feel like. It would be inspiring for me to know how you have felt about my newsletters :)

The Power of Gratitude

2025-02-27T22:43:00.005+03:00

The one most powerful feeling and action that has the power to instantly change our state from unhappy or low to peace and happiness is Gratitude.

Gratitude is not just expressing thank you in words.

In truth, Gratitude is a hearful acknowldgement of the countless blessings that have been bestowed upon us every second,

Or the heartful recognition and appreciation towards others for their action of kindness towards us.

When we feel gratitude in our heart, sometimes, we cannot express it in words, and it can only be expressed through tears of joy in our eyes. Tears because we feel so loved by that power that has brought us to this world and that is taking care of us in inexplicable ways.

Most of us have countless blessings, each day that we wake up healthy, with all our body parts intact, eyes that can see, limbs that work perfectly, ears that can hear, mouth that can talk and enjoy the tastes of this world, a sharp mind that has helped us to have a great career in one of the best companies in the world. Each day we see our loved ones, our kids, partners, pets, family and friends are all healthy and taken care of, wherever they are in the world. In this cold winter, we have a warm home with all possible conveninecs of clean water, a kitchen full of food, clothes to keep us warm. We have jobs, that give us enough money to take care of all our material needs, and while many do not have jobs or struggle with daily needs, we are blessed to be working. We live in a country that is safe, and we have clean air to breathe, a support system around us for difficult times. This list is endless.

In our daily lives, we tend to follow a routine and be robotic (there are exceptions), that make us take a lot for granted and hide the countless blessings bestowed on us.

Recently I had a small slip from the stairs and injured my ankle. After 3-4 weeks of bed rest, when I felt both my feet walking normal, I was dancing and celebrating movement like never before. It is easy to take everything and everyone for granted. Practicing Gratitude enables us to realize the countless blessings that go unnoticed in daily lifes. But practicing gratitude needs effort and discipline to remind ourselves how blessed we are.

I practice gratitude just before sleeping, and immediately after waking up. I play some calming music before sleeping, and with eyes closed and hands folded, I count my blessings and let my heart be overwhelmed with gratitude. I sleep with this feeling and after waking up, it is easy to feel grateful. I also have stickys of on my bathroom mirrors, workspace, bedside etc, to remind myself to feel grateful.

Try it for yourself and see how relaxation comes easy. The more we feel gratitude in our hearts, the more we feel like we are so well taken care of. And the more we attract great things in life and more and more abundance.

- Tanu Shree

How to be happy, peaceful ???

2025-01-01T23:41:00.010+03:00

We might be aware or not but most of us are striving every-day, doing everything that we can do to find peace and happiness.

The question is then why don't we feel peaceful or joyful in our lives consistently. Why is it that those moments are momentary?

Through my 20 years of meditation practice and observing myself and willing to evolve, I have realized that Peace and Happiness are easy. Like, if we observe small children, they are always happy and at ease in every moment. As adults, somehow, we begin to hold onto something very tight that makes us feel tensed and unhappy through various situations.

Let us try an experiment to understand this.

"Close your fist very tight.

Now try hard to open the fist but without actually willing to open the fist.

Now....just stop closing the fist. Stop the effort that was needed to close the fist and.... magic happens. The fist opens by itself."

To open the fist, there was nothing that we need to do. We just need to drop the effort to close the fist, and the fist opens by itself.

Likewise, in our individual lives, we are holding onto many different things, our habits, our desires, our egos, which keep us away from peace and happiness that is already here, already within us.

Meditation to me is a medium that can simply show us where we are stuck. As we become aware of our patterns that are keeping us stuck, we can then transcend these patterns to allow us the freedom to be happier, peaceful beings.

Last year (in 2024), I had observed various patterns that are keeping me unhappy (in certain situations). This year (in 2025) I have an intent and inclination to transcend these limiting patterns, and let myself be free, happy and peaceful consistently in every situation.

What is your intent for the new year?

With the start of the new year, let there be new beginnings in your lives in various realms.

My heartful wishes for you for the new year is a Healthy Body, a Joyful Heart, a Peaceful being and a Happy Family.

- Tanu Shree

Conversations and guidance from a child-god

2024-12-16T05:15:00.016+03:00

We all say that every child is god like. Or it may be that every god is child-like.

Being with a small child (aged 3), I have experienced this many times.

Just before Chaytanya's 4th birthday, I wanted to record some insightful conversations that I have had with her, and hence I have been feeling a pull to write a blog post dedicated to some of these conversations. I will continue to update this post until her 4th Birthday. Below are just few of those, that I remember.

All of these conversations happened in Hindi.

********************************************************

Chaytanyas said once, "Mama, mandir, masjid, gurudwara are in our heart"

Another time - "Mama, God is inside our heart (Bhagwan hamare dil mein hai)"

Once I was telling her, how we bought this home just before she was born. She asked me if this is my home. I said, "yes, it is my home."

She said, "Mummy, (apka ghar apke andar hai) your home is within you."

*******************************************************

Just before sleeping on some nights, I had started doing a Thank you prayer to god, which used to go like this.

"Thank you bhagwanji for blessing me with chaytanya etc. etc.". I never asked her to do the same or to follow me.

She used to listen to my prayer for many nights, and on one night she told me, shall I teach you a thank you prayer?

I said, "Yes"

She said, "(Aise bolo, thank you bhagwanji, apne andar aane ke liye). Thank God to come inside itself"

*******************************************************

On one occassion, I was putting chaytanya to sleep for her afternoon nap, rocking her on the rocking chair and she was in my lap. I started sharing with her about my journey. I told her that I have sought God, I have sought enlightment, I want to be free from Tanu, to be mukt.

She said: "Mama, talk to your Guru, he will free you (Aap apne guruji se baat karo, wo apko mukt karenge)".

I was plesantly surprised as I have not mentioned about my guru to her. In our home there are no daily rituals performed of any kind, except the ritual of spending time together without gadgets and eating together.

I asked her, "Do you know who is my Guru"

She said, "No"

I said, "Mooji and Osho are my Guru."

She said, "okay" and then she slept in my lap.

*******************************************************

On another occassion, I asked Chaytanya "How come you are always happy?"

She said, "I don't know"

I asked, "How do you feel when you see adults being unhappy, sad, angry?"

She said, "(Accha nahi lagta, mujhe lagta hai ki main inhe khush kar doon, japhi paon, paari karun). I don't like it, I feel like making them happy by loving them, hugging them."

********************************************************

15-Dec-2024

Just before sleeping. when I was lying down with her in the night, with background music playing (ae dil-e-nadan), she asked me,

"Mama, Are you happy?

I said, "Yes, I am very happy"

She said, "Is it because you are with your baby ?"

I said. "Yes", As in that moment, I was truly happy just because I was with her.

She said, "Charlie (neighbour's dog and Chaytanya's friend) is also Hema Aunty's (our neighbour) Baby"

I said, "Okay, Chaytanya", her response somehow touched my heart.

I asked softly, "Chaytanya, will you guide me?"

She said, "Guide you for what?"

I said, "To be free from Tanu"

She said, "I told you, that you should talk to Mooji ji, your Guru ji. He will free you. Ask him to free Chaytanya and Papa also. Then we will also not die and we will also be mukt. (fir hum bhi nahi marenge, hum bhi mukt honge)"

Then she asked me if she can tell me a story.

I said, yes.

She told me a story that how she find all her friends (talking about 3 friends - Hari, Jas, Richa) who came to our house a day before), the same. She said that she finds that Hari is same as Jas, Jas is same as Hari. Richa is same as Hari, Hari is same as Jap. All are same mama. All are one."

Then she gave me a lot of sweet kisses and fell asleep.

The story of the two buddhas

2024-10-22T22:28:00.015+03:00

In my backyard, I have 2 buddha statues. Today was a beautiful day and while I was sitting on the swing, sipping my evening chai (cup of tea), I noticed that one of the buddha's statue (grey one) was in a dilapitated condition. And then I looked for the other buddha statue (earthy brown one), and this buddha was peaceful like never before.

I started wondering why there is such a huge difference in the two buddhas and while I was reflecting, I felt an urge to write this post.

The dilapitated grey buddha is made of stone and is easily impacted by every seasonal change which has led to such a condition of this buddha.

The evergreen peaceful one is made of plastic and is not impacted by any season or weather change. This buddha has seen many winters and summers and is still the same. In Indian spirituality, it is called "Sambhav"

Sam - means centred, same

Bhav - means emotion, feeling

Sambhav means being the same within, whatever may be the situation

resting in and as ones true self and not easily impacted by the external situation.

Seeing the grey dilapitated buddha statue and after reflecting upon the difference in the two buddhas, I was shook from within. I realized that if I am not seeking to be centered as my true being, in these ever changing life situations, this is how I might end up.

In our day to day lives,

we forget to seek the meaning of life,

to question who am I,

to use every change as an opportunity to find the unchanging within.

The brown buddha reminds me to not waste time, and to use every situation to find my center and seek to be calm and centered in all life situations. This buddha gives me a hope that there is a possibility to be in Sambhav, and then whatever may happen will not touch me,

the good or the bad,

the praise or the criticism,

the happiness or the sadness,

the gain or the loss.

Even though presently I am not deeply centered, but I will seek to use my life as an opportunity to be in sam bhav, so that I do not end up like the grey buddha. I know such living beings who are like Sun, their inner peace, joy, shines bright where ever they are. They might be doing 100 things but inside they are one, at ease, totally resting in their being. I seek to be one of them. I seek to be ONE within.

May all beings of this world of this world find peace and joy within.

Thank you dear God for reminding me to continue on this path of self-realization.

Thank you!

Understanding the Importance of being Desireless using Dimensions

2024-09-27T21:13:00.006+03:00

In 2019 while learning the AI concept of n-dimensional recommendations, I started realizing an important concept of - Importance of being desireless using dimensions. With this post, I am trying to explain the concept a bit in detail.

We all know that 1 dimension (1D) can be represented with a line. 2D with a painting or a photo etc, 3D with all 3D objects, consider sculpture as an example.

1D - Line

2D - Painting, photo etc.

3D - Sculpture etc.

Consider the object sculpture

For the sculpture to move, it need space.

For space to exist, the sculpture need to move in time

If there is no space, then there is no time

If there is no time, then there is no space

The sculpure exists just as a point in space.

For a desire to exist, space is needed and so is time to fulfill the desire.

Desire is a mental construct and so is Space and Time to fulfill the desire are also mental constucts., because inspite of the perception of movement in a multi-dimensional space, object always exists as a Point in space at any given Time and Space.

This is also why perception of Time and Space is also experienced to each one differently as is the perception of their own speed of thoughts in the mind.

For a desireless person, Time and Space will stop to exist in feeling. That person would feel totally present in the moment, when desireless.

Whether or not one is desireless, one still exists as a point in space.

Understanding Spirituality from the perspective of AI

2024-07-30T20:47:00.008+03:00

We have entered the age of AI. By now, most of us know how AI works. We are familiar with the terminology of AI, GEN AI, training data, patterns, deep neural networks etc.

For years, I have been learning and understanding the foundational concepts of AI and observing the similarities between AI and the human mind. The connect between growth of a human child and foundational basics of an AI model seems obvious to me. When I see a child learning and writing the script of his/her life, I reflect that this is from where the foundational people who started working on Artificial Intelligence took its inspiration from.

With this article, my intent is to explore and understand spirituality from the perspective of AI. Sometimes, it is difficult to learn a new subject in which we have limited exposure or understanding but it can be made easier if we try to understand an unknown or new subject from the perspective of our existing knowledge or experience.

Artificial Intelligence is inspired from Human intelligence - how a human child learns, grows, processes information, makes decisions, reacts to situations, builds habits, develops a personality etc. Let’s try to understand spirituality from when a child is born. Consider when a child is born, a fresh, blank slate to a brand-new AI model scope. There is nothing yet, no training data which means at present there are INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.

EVERY CHILD and by every, I mean, EVERY CHILD is born with INFINITE POSSIBILITIES. Now, most of what the child will become depends on the training data. Here, the training data is the environment, surroundings, parents/guardians, neighborhood, schooling, peer group, country etc. Same for the brand-new AI model. A lot depends on the AI engineers who are going to feed the initial training data to build the AI model that uses a combination of several techniques like deep neural networks, logistic regression, n-dimensional recommendations etc. Here, the AI engineers are the child’s parents or guardians. The parents or guardians especially the one who spends most time with the child – it can be the mother, father, grandparent or a nanny, is the first AI engineers who introduces the world to the child.

Even without doing anything, the child is learning by observing (the possibility of the evolution of AI is in learning by observing). The child begins building the AI model by learning from the parents/guardians’ behaviors, reactions, responses, conversations, habits etc. For a newborn child, there is no filter. They absorb everything like a sponge. As the child grows, certain habits are built into the child for good e.g. – brushing the teeth, taking bath every day, sleep ritual, food habits etc. And this training data continues to build the AI model.

A lot more training happens in the first 7 years of the child’s life, that starts to define the limitations of this AI model, the likes, dislikes, reactions, habits, what makes the child happy, what can make the child sad, habits like if the child is attracted to using a mobile phone because the child has seen the parents on phone most of the time, or habit of singing, meditating, dancing, yoga, exercising etc.

Everything is fed into this child’s AI model for a period of 7 years.

Many scriptures esp. the Hindu scriptures mention the importance of the first 7 years in a human being’s spiritual life. Research also shows that 100% of the brain development happen in the first 7 years out of which 80% happens up to the age of 2. So, by the time a child is 7 years of age, the AI model is ready to start running with test data. But, in the real world, there is not much testing, so we can say real data.

So, now the child uses this AI model. This AI model is the EGO- Human’s ego. A child learns that I have this name, I eat like this, I have these likes and dislikes, I have these boundaries etc.

By understanding the EGO from the perspective of the AI model gives us 2 insights.

One, that the first 7 years in a child’s age is an opportunity for us as parents or guardians to create a nourishing environment for our children to evolve as a human being, exposing them to variety of situations, to support them in creating a multi-dimensional personality and to teach them to be loving and happy by being examples. I can give an example of my life, I do not remember the situations that I was exposed to as a child, but when I started working, I found myself doing well as a computer engineer. Over the years I also,found myself painting, doing photography to the point of becoming a professional photographer, meditating, writing articles, poems, doing graphic designing, interior decoration, enjoying dancing, speaking at public places or counselling etc. My intent here is not to boast about myself but just exploring the possibility to create a multi-dimensional personality in a child instead of creating a boundary of doing just one job for their entire life etc.

It also gives us an insight that the child is learning by observing, so we as parents/guardians can let go of some of our habits that the child is imitating and is injurious to their growth.

Second insight that this perspective gives us is to understand and become more aware of our own habits, reactions, behaviors, patterns. For example, I get angry in a certain situation. By observing my parents with whom I have spent most of the time with, I can see from where I have picked these habits from and realize that this is not what I am.

Originally, we consider our ego self as I am. It is just an accumulation of the learning that happened from the time I was born, my name given to me by my family, habits, reactions, behaviors, experiences learnt from my childhood environment and experiences. But there is something beyond this AI model, there is something beyond this ego self that I call as me, myself.

By becoming aware of our habits, triggers, reactions, our thinking patterns, I can start creating a distance from who I am and this egoic self and begin my journey to discovering Who AM I ?

The Joy of Self Discipline

2023-10-16T16:51:00.002+03:00

Being brought up in a family where I was never told to wake up early or take bath after waking up etc., I found the joy of waking up early when I started living alone for my first job.

Waking up and going for jogging just before sunrise made me feel so refreshed and looking forward to each day with excitement. I added morning meditation to my routine and some art like a small painting or a small dance and it made my days so beautiful. I continued this practice for almost 15 years, with some breaks, and I enjoyed myself and my days tremendously. Overtime, meditating for all these years, I had completely forgotten what boredom or laziness looks like.

I just enjoyed myself. There was a change in this phase, after having a baby few years back. Even though it was one of the most rewarding experience ever, I was no more able to wake up early, meditate, spend time in any creative pursuit, since I was not getting enough sleep. Recently, I started the morning routine again, which started from having a light dinner, no gadgets at night, sleeping by 10 pm and waking up by 5 am.

Waking up at 5 am, being alone with the silence of the twilight, gives me such orientation for the day. After taking bath, I sit for meditation and then yoga. I feel settled in my being and energetic in my body, I cook for my beloved people either in silence of some lovely background music. And then the day begins with my beloved people waking up - hugging them is so precious and makes me look forward to each day. I do not touch my mobile until around 8:45 am.

This self discipline is not forced from outside but I thoroughly find joy after I discipline myself. I have always felt that Discipline comes out of joy and not out of restraint or external force. On days that I skip my morning routine, I feel a difference in myself and my body and hence I go back to my morning routine again.

What wonders self discipline can do, we cannot imagine. What magic meditation does in the morning to our being, yoga or exercise to our body, we do not know unless we experiment ourselves. But discipline follows inner joy. It needs a little will in the beginning until we start enjoying ourselves.

Message for Chaytanya on her Second Birthday

2023-03-15T22:59:00.003+03:00

I keep slipping on this slippery slope

That "You are mine"

How not to slip on this beautiful slippery slope

"Your presence, your warmth, your smile, your small gentle gestures,

your words, your tantrums, your love"

Everything about you takes me into a different realm

A realm that was unknown to me,

Yet so much me

I live in multiple dimensions with you in this simple ordinary life

In which your innocence, your love, your creativity, your pure being

makes everything extraordinary!

How beautiful is this realm!

How tempting is this slippery slope that you are mine

Yet I remember that you are not mine

You were Not sometime back, and you will not be in the future

You are a Free Soul who chose us as mediums

So grateful are we to you for choosing us as your parents

Nothing is permanent!

And I am basking in the warmth, innocence and love of your child-like being,

your sweet presence,

your arms around me,

And this joy of being "mama"

Thank you "Chaytanya! I love you!

May my love frees you, and never binds you!

Amen!

Home Decoration - Transforming our space

2022-04-01T22:16:00.009+03:00

A very dear friend has asked me to write a post sharing my knowledge on home decoration. For me, it is such a vast knowledge that I might not be able to put it in one post but I am so grateful to him for having me get started on this topic.

For me, a Home is my/our Temple, where we live. You will not find a mandir in our home, since I intend to transform the entire space in which we live into a Mandir/Temple.

I am a lover of beauty in all and everything around and I cannot live without decorating. Even if I have to live in a space with one floor mattress, in a shared room, for 2 weeks, I will decorate it. For me it does not matter if the space is owned or rented. If I am living in it, it is loved, transformed and decorated creatively for those moments.

Home is a space which must be enriching and rejuvenating. A space from which we do not get bored or want a break from. That is possible only if we transform the space into a loving, meditative buddha-field.

When it comes to decorating home, there are two aspects to it

1. Decorating the space with objects (furniture, furnishing, art, plants, etc.)

2. Transforming the space with vibration of love, soothing sounds, fragrance, laughter, creativity. No TV, No unwanted noise, no clutter, no unnecessary objects, etc.

I will share my knowledge and tips for both. Since I have worked as a professional photographer and a painter, I tend to use the learnings from both these artistic pursuits in Home decoration.

Tips on decorating the space with Objects:

1. Respecting the spaciousness of the space

It is important to remember that every object has energy and we must add objects to our space carefully and not just because we go shopping a lot.

The word 'Room' simply means 'Space'. If we fill the room with objects completely, we cannot survive. Keeping that in mind, the objects (furniture or furnishing) must be added so it makes the space look more spacious and not cluttered.

Some examples of the spaces decorated by me:

Tip on making the space look more spacious by adding an object:

I have learnt this particular tip from photography. Our eyes have a tendency to see the objects and not space as is. In order for us to experience the complete space, add an object like a large plant, or colorful flowers or anything to the end of a large empty space. If we see an object at the very end of a large space, we see the entire space with it compared to when not adding any object. This will make the space look and feel bigger even after adding the object.

For example, in the above pic you are bound to see the orange ottoman from the other end of the space too.

And the christmas tree while moving your eyes from the front of the space to the back

2. Make the home colourful

Do you ever wonder why we feel dull when there is no sunlight in winter for weeks ? Or why winters are more dull than summers. One main reason is that colours are missing. Colours are extremely important in making the home more ALIVE and beautiful.

You can experiment with colours as per your taste. I have changed many homes in my life, many countries, cities and houses, and I have always made it a point to not repeat. Every new space is a complete experiment in every way. I will share some pics to make this point.

Add colours in a beautiful subtle way. Colours have energy, choose colours wisely.

Tip on making the space more colourful without being loud

If you ask me, easiest way to add colour and must thing is put a contrasting coloured carpet. You can't imagine how the choice of the carpet can transform the whole space beautifully. Carpets usually covers the major space and a beautiful contrasting carpet can make the whole difference.

Few more must dos

- Colorful cushions with peaceful art if possible - adds to creativity and making the environment soothing

- Add a lot of alive Green plants and trees - alive plants have their own energy and supportive of creating a harmonious environment

- Choose a colour theme for each bathroom and room. Use curtains, cushions, rugs, bathroom mats, towels etc. to match the theme and you will not regret it

- Play with colours and enjoy

3. Be Creative

The beauty of creativity is that it is Infinite. Be creative. Be inspired.

Some quick pointers

4. Do not block your entryway with any object. Energy must flow freely

5. Bedrooms (especially) must have minimum furniture - if possible just a bed and nightstand. Each and every object in the bedroom can impact your relating with your partner or loved ones. (How? is out of scope of this post)

6. Do not add a mirror facing the entry door - it will reflect back all the incoming energy

7. Keep the corners empty. Corners carry the maximum energy and you can test this if you just stand in a corner with eyes closed and body relaxed and just feeling the space.

In case if you have items in the corner, try to move them once in a while so energy can flow

8. Keep your home(temple) clean

9. Any art that you have must feel peaceful, alive, joyful or whatever feeling you want to come back to when you are home, Look at the art for a few moments and feel how it feels. If it makes you feel unsettled or chaotic then do not buy it. These days there is a lot of art with no meaning, just colors. I would suggest do not buy that since every object has energy - add an artwork that is powerful in transforming the space.

Tips on transforming the space:

1. Sounds

Sound is the deepest sense that is experienced when any spiritual seeker reaches to the point of self-realization.

Sound is experienced by the baby in the womb very early on.

Every matter when scientifically explored is just a vibration and a sound

I cannot stress the careful usage of sound on our state as human beings. We have never kept a TV in our house so that there is no unnecessary sounds or images and it ensure that we have more time to spend in creativity and being with our loved ones.

Tips on using the sound carefully

- No unnecessary sounds, noises (including TV. If you want TV, keep a separate space just for watching TV and it must not be in the common area where family gets together and chit chat or eat )

- Play background soothing music - if possible flute (the music of the bamboo flute goes quiet deep) and it does have a tremendous impact on transforming the space into a rejuvenating energy field

- Play mood music

- Invest in a good indoor waterfall

- You can add a melodious wind chime for the outdoor setting

- Keep a small separate space for fighting or throwing out the rubbish so that fights are reduced and in the remaining areas, we speak to each other lovingly, respectfully and the entire house is not affected by the vibration of fight or negativity.

2. Lighting

Lighting has a deep impact on our moods, energy levels and sleep. A sunny day in winters make such a difference. Buy a house with lots of windows and towards the direction of the sun if possible.

Invest in good lighting, lamps etc, and light the space just enough that you see faces of the people in the evening. It adds to the aesthetics when you are aware of the surrounding objects but they do not interfere when looking at the faces of the loved ones. Just sufficient light adds to the mood and to a state of relaxation. Light candles in the evening if possible.

As the evening approaches, dim the lights and see how the sleep is transformed especially for people with sleep issues. Do not use artificial lights like mobile, tablet etc, just before sleeping.

3. Fragrance

Ventilate the entire space and use incense stick (agarbatti) - if possible original sandalwood (chandan) one

4. Lovingness

Remember our home is only a temporary abode and the people we live with today wont be with us forever in these bodies. Feel reverence and enjoy living with them with love and gratitude.

As I told, I have moved homes a lot and I enjoy it as it declutters the house and the mind, reminds the impermanence of life and gives me a fresh canvas to decorate every time. One challenge however, is to transform the energy of the space. People who lived in a space have the spaces vibrate with their energies. The best way to transform the space and make it into our home is by being loving. Love has a very high vibration and it can transform everything sooner than we can imagine.

5. Inviting and Warm

Let your home be so inviting and so warm that

each one who enters your space feels touched,

is rejuvenated inside and out,

each one who stays in your space even for a short while

feels at home, feels your warmth, care and love.

I hope this article will inspire you to create and transform your space even more. If it does, do let me know and I will be inspired to share more.

Message for chaytanya on First Birthday

2022-01-28T23:07:00.011+03:00

A magical being

2021-08-04T05:32:00.012+03:00

I have been blessed with a magical being.

In normal language, blessed with a baby girl.

I see her as a magical being - who appeared from nothing, into this world, into this body. We have given a name to this magical unknown infinite being - Chaytanya Shree (meaning Supreme Godly Consciousness).

Seeing her, being with her, I feel utterly surprised as to...how pure, how trusting, how joyful, how playful, how natural, how simple and yet infinite - she is God-like.

She is joyful without having any materialistic or spiritual object.

She is totally receptive and trusting - with all the possibilities of harm from the surrounding people

She is totally natural with no differences of good or bad, with no conditioning.

She is everything that I ever want to be through all my spiritual pursuits. She is in a state that most humans seek...a state of consistent peace, trust, joy. The most surprising thing is that 'I' was also like her, and all of us were born the same, and yet no one seems to be like her.

As adults, we somehow lose our original face and spend our lives seeking to discover it. And still, as adults we pretend to know what is best for this new life, and no sooner that the baby is born, and we are all ready to teach her.

Khalil Gibran has said - "

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls.
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
****************************************
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you."

We feel that children belong to us, she is mine - and with this feeling of 'mine', we sow seeds of pain and darkness in our lives and in the life of this new one.

Chaytanya is not mine or ours. We have just been a medium for her to enter into this world. We can love, respect, nourish and support her in fulfilling her destiny, but we don't want to teach her or make her into a copy of ours.

I don't know anything that I can give to this baby except love and respect, but I really seek to learn from her all that she is. Through her, I wish to discover my original face, the one I was born with.