Seasons of Consciousness

The World's only Immortal Animal........ :-)

2010-06-19T01:31:00.000-07:00

Sages have spent years of energy and research into food, living, and meditation....drug companies spend millions of monies into this....and even more, many a Seeker on the path to Enlightenment, have deviated from the path of self-enquiry, simply to find immortality...

...and here is this one, simple, living creature that effortlessly stays immortal...Nature knows who to bestow what. :-)

Which is it?

The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish...also called the hydrozoan jellyfish!

It can cycle from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, and back again, and back again! There may be no natural limit to its life span.

How?

Transdifferentiation process: 1 type of cell transforms into another type.

Examples of runner-ups: Salamanders can regrow limbs (limited transdifferentiation).

Because they are able to bypass death, they're now found in oceans around the globe.

"We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion," ~Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute.

Tree Plantation Drive by YES!+: June 5, 2010

2010-06-16T00:49:00.001-07:00

When Art of Living Bangalore's YES!+ team took charge in different parts of city, with AoL teachers, BBMP, and other responsible organizations like Vee Technnologies, the outcome was more than 100 new trees in a few hours, across parks!

FAQ: On an average, a human being utilizes resources of 16 trees in a lifetime.

Have you adopted your tree yet? :-)

Contact your Art of Living city coordinator and get started now.

www.artofliving.org

Harvard said this...NYTimes said that... what do you say?

2010-06-11T00:39:00.000-07:00

For the "less-evolved" ones who have an open mind to evolve:

A large-scale Harvard study, conducted last year, revealed that "the actual, realistic weightage to technical expertise is only 13 per cent!! ..compared to the 87 per cent attributed to soft skills in corporates and graduates today!"

Ironically we need Harvard, Stanford, NY Times or some such brand name credibility to believe the facts...instead of the universal knowledge already shared to the world through the Vedas and scriptures that contributed to India's high, multi-dimensional prosperity quotient, in ancient times! Isn't it ironic...?

If you have understood the point here, then you are already "evolving".

If you wish to fast-track your evolution, and fast-track the evolution of this beautiful planet along the way, enrol for the next YES!+ program. It's for you. And you will find everything you have been searching for so far in life...and much more..

Btw, at the realm of the Self, there is no evolution, the Self is all there is, as it is.

What's common to the MEDIA, POLITICIANS and EKTA KAPOOR? :-)

2010-06-11T00:06:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends argue (from lack of anything valuable to contribute to conversation) ...why does ART OF LIVING charge money for the courses?

I gently remind them about how much they have invested (money + time + energy) in their graduation, and how much returns and satisfaction quotient they are reaping today. And the ridiculous disproportion in Investment versus Returns. :-)

And they immediately know that all this is because of the lack of spiritual education so far...

The greatest point to remember is that, "spiritual education" which is the most important aspect of education is often neglected...results are obvious to one and all, and I needn't elucidate that.

Oh, btw spiritual education broadly means "knowledge of self, knowledge about mind, balanced lifestyle with a holistic combination of prosperity"...in fact all spiritual people are prosperous-- in wealth, in thoughts and in magnanimity of attitude.

"Anything that helps you become unconditionally happy and loving is what is called spirituality." ~ Sri Sri

Something I came across recently...and feel I must share with you...

"The idea that all spiritual education should be free, or the notion that spiritual training was free in ancient India is a fallacy. Spirituality is also an education and all education needs to be paid for. Those who know their history know that people in Vedic times had to “invest” far more to get a spiritual education than we do today!

The concept of ''Dakshina'' is from the ancient Vedic times.

The vow of poverty is a concept alien to our land. Here, the primordial Guru, Lord Narayana is wedded to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Material progress goes hand in hand with spiritual growth. There are some pseudo intellectuals and historians who...praise only the dead and abuse the living."

Aptly captured here...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6032081.cms

WHAT IS THE MEDIA DOING?

Silly goofy media...

sensationalizes a bullet and not the incredible work done by AOL in more than 165 countries in just 27 years!

politicians are the outdated PJ nowadays...and media is the new joke of the day.

Remember the last time, the media sensationalized that the commisioner's dog has run away....yes we all remember that !

But remember any time that AOL was highlighted for completely transforming Asia's largest slum...or creating a model village (in Maharashtra: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.it.iitb.ac.in/~gumma/inspire/Kapshi.doc) in the history of the world....or Sudarshan Kriya curing thousands of patients from migraine/asthma/depression/homicidal tendencies/Cancer....or how AOL volunteers are still working in tsunami zones and Naxal-torn jungles of Chattisgarh ??

No the media wont portray that...because the media is the new PJ of the planet.

Politicians and media seem to have become the new series of Ekta Kapoor package in real life :-)

Oh, btw...the donations paid for the AOL courses are utilized in thousands of service projects across the world...from disaster relief to rural women empowerment....from free children education to saving the environment.

http://www.artofliving.org/

I'm sure some of you will appreciate this, and invest in your own health (physical, emotional, mental) through the incredibly simple and powerful ART OF LIVING courses (my personal favorite: http://yesplusevents.org/) , and at the same time, contribute to the revolutionary service activities happening through the Art of Living.

Its only one family...we call it a ONE WORLD FAMILY (Vasudhaeva Kutumbakam!)

"Do not sell your smile, even if the whole world is offered in return for it." ~Sri Sri

Clean Water!

2010-06-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

"Once upon a time..." always has a "...Happily Ever After" at the end in reel life and fairytales.
What about in real life?

People who use the newest, "best", most-expensive water filtration systems...well guys this is not for you...because you have already lightened your pockets significantly to the "brand new" water purification system...and what I tell you about next will be a disappointment to your consumer-enthusiasm....

An ancient filtration technique that has near-zero carbon footprint in production and assembly of the system...and something that is way too affordable for anyone from a farmer to a corporate...is what I am talking about...
i discovered this system at the Art of Living International Foundation...and I could only jump in joy...because this is exactly what every small village and every health-conscious consumer would love to have...and this it it!

A product of research on ancient, fool-proof, holistic way of purifying drinking water, this is a joint inititaitve between the Government of India and the Art of Living...and the product is called TERAFIL!

Costing less than 500 INR, this is a boon to many many people who deserve good health and clean drinking water...

To check it out, please contact Dr Ramkrishna Muley - 9342139075

tiTbiTs:
http://www.artofliving.org/social-transformation/water-conservation/terafil-water-filter.html

Sri Sri: Calls Upon All to Fight Terrorism and Work for World Peace

2010-06-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

Sri Sri Publications
India, May 31, 2010:

Commenting on the attack on his convoy, spiritual leader, humanitarian and founder of the Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said: “We have to raise the voice of non-violence. Violence has been increasing all over the country and in the world. We have to work towards a more spiritual and peaceful society.”

The probe into the attack, which occurred on May 30, continued with the visit of the Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa to the Art of Living’s International Headquarters in Bangalore.

The Chief Minister promised to extend their full support to aid the investigations. He discussed the incident in detail with Sri Sri. “We are committed to give all possible protection to him. There will be an inquiry and the culprit will be punished. I am happy to see Sri Sri’s determination. He remains undeterred even after the attack.”

Investigations revealed that a gunman fired at Sri Sri’s convoy as he was leaving a public satsang attended by thousands of people on Sunday evening.

Addressing the media at the Art of Living International Center today, Sri Sri said, “We heard a noise in the car. Only later I learnt that a devotee had received a surface injury in his thigh.”

He further added, “I invite people who have violent tendencies to the Center. I am sure after they sit in the satsang for a few days, they will be reformed. I have no enemies. I have already forgiven the gunman. I invite him to learn meditation and the Sudarshan Kriya (a stress-elimination breathing techniques introduced by Sri Sri)."

Asked about enhancing security measures around him, Sri Sri said, “I am here for the people and am not in favor of any measures that will prevent this.”

He urged people not to worry and called upon them to work towards a more inclusive, peaceful and spiritual society.

In the meantime, religious leaders across faiths spoke in support of Sri Sri. Deepak Chopra, the Stress Management expert, also condemned the incident while appreciating Sri Sri’s calm response on this unfortunate episode.

Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and Swami Agnivesh, well-known social activist, strongly condemned the act of violence against ‘a man of peace and prayer’.

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev said,* “He is a non-controversial figure. It is surprising that such an incident has occurred. Such a spiritual leader must be given all security.” All-India Muslim Personal Law Board Working Committee member Kamal Farooqui said, “Gurus have a lot of relevance in our lives. The culprit should be punished.”

All said and done, Rashmin bhaiya's blog nails the facts into place...from the senseless media to the "we will blah blah" politicians, he puts this grim reality about our media and politics into right light!

Here's the post: http://rashminp.blogspot.com/2010/06/aho-niranjano.html

Innovation on the webpage :-)

2010-05-31T04:09:00.001-07:00

It's amazing ... don’t know who made this.

http://home.tiscali.nl/annejan/swf/timeline.swf

1st Line is Seconds
2nd Line is Minutes
3rd Line is Hours
4th Line is the Day of the Week
5th Line is Today's Date
6th Line is the Month
and 7th Line is the Year

Sri Sri's comments about "suicide"

2010-05-31T03:50:00.000-07:00

"Just relax! and be dead now!

Shareer ko kyun marte ho ( why do u want to kill your body ?)
Restlessness is in your mind.

By destroying your body you are not going to get anything.
Kill the mind , that is the real death you are looking for. If your
mind dies you relax. If this does not happen you cannot relax.
By destroying your body don’t think you will be at peace.
You have come to the right place.
Killing your body, your restlessness remains.
Your body is a sacred thing. It belongs to God !
What makes u so restless is your desire.
Drop that craving of yours and your mind becomes calm.
You want to compete with someone and when you cannot, you become
restless. All ambitions make u restless.

Kill your ambition,throw your ambition out.
If you are peaceful from inside you can do anything.
Aatma hatya karoge tho 400 -500 saal ghoomte rahoge (If you commit
suicide you will keep going round and round for 400-500 years !)
It is like - when u are feeling cold do you need more blankets or your
taking off your clothes will help ???!!!

Suicide is taking off your clothes when you are already feeling
cold !!!"

It is you who have shown me how precious human life is on this beautiful planet...how each second counts...and there is more love on this planet than we can comprehend!

In You, I experience the playfulness of the Krishna Consciousness, the innocence of the Shiva element, the unconditional love of Jesus, the non-violence in Lord Mahavira...and the unfathomable, soothing stillness of Lord Buddha...sometimes I wonder how You really are...a friend? a confidant? a Guru? a Father? a Mother? ...but then I smile and know one thing: I have the most beautiful life on this planet because of You.

How to detect Hidden Camera in TrialRooms of shops and malls? ?

2010-05-31T03:32:00.000-07:00

Issued in public interest :-)

In front of the trial room take your mobile and make sure that you are able to make calls with your mobile phone...

Next, enter the trial room, and make a call again.....

If u can't make a call...
There is a hidden camera!!

Science behind it:
This is due to the interference of fiber optic during the signal transfer, if a hidden camera is present.

YES!+ Program

2010-05-29T02:08:00.000-07:00

What keeps NASA astronauts and Asia’s best cardiologist stress-free?

How do Google employees at PaoAlto balance life and work?

What gives the world’s best snooker player an additional edge over competition?

Do I have to struggle to become successful in life?

Do I have the ability to handle any situation in life…with a smile?

Welcome to YES!+ Program and Upgrade your life skills.

YES!+ stands for Youth Empowerment and Skills Workshop for students and working professionals between the 18 to 30 age group. It’s a one of a kind, life skills workshop which is specially designed to give deep relaxation and easy-to-practice, practical tools to lead life with success.

· Do my relationships handle me?

For a change let me learn to handle my relationships.

· How can I give 100 per cent to life in the right direction?

· How to cultivate intelligence in my life without losing my innocence?

· Take a break from the madness of the world outside…Re-live life in your terms!

Whether you are a busy corporate, an ambitious student, or simply in need of a shift, YES!+ will leave you feeling lighter and ready to face any challenge with greater clarity and ease.

It enhances excellence and health in ALL ASPECTS of life: professional, personal, academic, physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

CORE COMPONENTS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM:

v Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY): A rhythmic breathing process that brings clarity to the mind, enhances creativity, kicks out personal mental barriers, gets rid of unhealthy habits, and increases focus and concentration levels tremendously.

v Challenging sessions to strengthen and energize the body and increase stamina

v Interactive Processes that are fun and provide practical wisdom to dealing with unpleasant situations at work/life

v You’ll learn Ancient techniques:

ü To enhance focus and concentration without stressing the mind

ü shortcuts to time management

ü for enhanced productivity at work

v A 20-minute daily breathing and meditation practice upon completion of the program

The upcoming YES!+ @ Bangalore:

Trainers: Smriti and Sahil Jagtiani. (Sahil is an International trainer for the Art of Living International Foundation, an Entrepreneur, and an International Singer and Musician.)

Dates: 11- 13 June

Timings: 8:00 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Where: ManandiSamskruta Sadan Hall, Jayanagar 5th Block, Bangalore
Age Criteria: 18–30 yrs + "those Young at Heart!"

Contact Us: Krishna 09884761590, Gaurav 9886279368

Email- smritisahilyesplus@gmail.com

Visit www.yesplus.org For testimonials: http://www.yesplusevents.org/testimonials/

Strangely, over-saturated intellectuals today need testimonials from organizations to believe good things, so here goes...(bcos nothing should stop you experiencing the most freeing experience you can have, in life) Please check the testimonials of various Organizations.

Also, share this link with your friends, family and colleagues. You never know whose life you may help Transform!

JUNE 5, 2010: 2,00,000 TREES FOR BANGALORE! JOIN US

2010-05-03T01:31:00.000-07:00

Do you feel the pinch of the Bangalore heat every time you step out of the air conditioned office?

Does the unusual summer heat play spoilsport every time you step out for coffee?

Is your doctor telling you to stay away from the dust and the heat?

If you feel the guilt that Bangalore’s world famous air conditioned climate may soon be a thing of the past, let’s do something about it.

Shall we get together and give the summer of 2011 something to look forward to? More greenery, more spring flowers, more coolness quotient to namma Bengaluru.

I know its been on your mind for long, and it has been on my mind too, and as we both waited for someone to initiate a project for TREE PLANTATION AND ADOPTION, the climate went from bad to worse.

The Art of Living International Foundation has joined hands with the BBMP to paint Bangalore city green this JUNE 5^th.

Mark this day on your calendars, apply for leaves from offices, even better: involve your teams, your company, and let’s do our part that was pending since long.

Our sankalpa is for 200,000 saplings across Bangalore.

Send me (gauravnath.vision@gmail.com) your name with phone number and email ID.

If you belong to the corporate circle, and wish to see your company involve as a strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive, send us the contact information of your HR or CSR Head.

Let’s get started RIGHT NOW.

p.s. (An average human uses the resources of 16 trees in a lifetime. Can we plant at least 17 ?)

WAKE UP! ...SIGN THIS PETITION AGAINST GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD

2010-04-20T04:29:00.000-07:00

You know by now, the dangers of GM Food to your family and mine.

Simply refuse GM food.
...HOW?

Sign this petition
http://greenpeace.in/safefood/chavan-email/

Here are some latest happenings from the capital city, and some more real facts:
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/releases/citizens-uphold-their-right-to

Our words have power, lets use it wisely and timely. We want a cleaner, greener planet, and healthy people around.

Don't allow greedy, insensitive foreign MNC's to abuse this planet and stuff our bodies with time bombs (GM Food)!

A new series of universal knowledge

2010-04-20T02:20:00.000-07:00

Just browse through "your" topic...you will find something that clicks :-)
Knowledge from the Source

What Sri Sri Said July 4th 2002 Austin USA Public Talk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbSfXjBS8Rw

Sri Sri Conducts a Meditation - June 28th 2002 Chicago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w86_4zTTvXQ

What Sri Sri Said June 28th 2002 Chicago, USA Public Talk, Q+A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u155UokpJXU

What Sri Sri Said July 19th 2001 Canada Eve Satsang - The Significance of Yagyas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C50G8jJ_Tzo

What Sri Sri Said July 19th 2001 Canada Eve Satsang and Knowledge - Desires and Shraddaa(Faith)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huMtBg-DaE4

What Sri Sri Said Jan 15th 2001 Canada Eve Satsang Q and A and Birthdays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNnhWcymJiE

What Sri Sri Said Jan 15th 2001 Canada Eve Satsang - Speaks on Overcoming a Broken Heart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16LuXJ2ucDE

Sri Sri Sings a Bhajan Jan 15th 2001 Canada Eve Satsang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_QG6-609VM

What Sri Sri Said Jan 15th 2001 Canada Eve Satsang - Dealing with negative Emotion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPzs17OBE3c

What Sri Sri Said January 7th 2001 Canada Eve Satsang Q & As

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrhKr1-g3SA

What Sri Sri Said Jan 4th, 2001 Canada Q and A - Speaks on Same Sex Attraction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EektMq5mVwU

What Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Said Jan 4th 2001 Canada Q and A: Sex & Spirituality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYanZqJ9zg0

What Sri Sri Said Jan 4th, 2001 - Speaks on Dealing With Loss of a Loved One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlSoCgxhcv4

What Sri Sri Said Jan 4th 2001- Canada Q and A Sessions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaoeLWOiJnA

Love,
Gaurav

I liked this blog

2010-04-20T01:33:00.000-07:00

One of those elite few bloggers (like me :-)) , who blog about useful stuff, that all can use...

http://www.todayifoundout.com/

Most other bloggers are so community centric...the Microsoft communities, the Open Source community, the vegan community, the this community, the that community....and the other few simply blog to make noise and be heard and be famous...

In such dark times, universal blogs like

http://www.todayifoundout.com/, www.bawandinesh.name, www.gaurav-nath.blogspot.com (;-))

are lighthouses of knowledge that the HUMAN community can use and reuse and gain from.

Do you know more such blogs? share them here...let's spread knowledge, not gossip or war :-)

Bangalore's Mall Culture!

2010-04-19T02:27:00.000-07:00

THE MARKET

...is awash with rotten apples which go unnoticed to most consumers...most of us look forward to THE Sunday, and when its here, we waste half the day sleeping late (which topsy turvies the biological clock and metabolism...wow! what a dumb thing to do...), and one third of the other half, we waste inside a supermarket....especially if you walk into one of those noisy Big Bazaars...I compare the confusion to what probably chickens feel when they are crammed into cages inside factory farms! Loudspeakers babbling away about last minutes discounts...and frantic mothers trying to parallely manage crying kids and shopping carts @ same time...! and you'll find the local boys loitering inside...passing comments at so-called babes....!

The experience becomes worse when you are more aware of the air inside...its cluttered with thoughts, thoughts, thoughts...all thoughts of confused, weekend-starved professionals...who end up buying junk in that confused state of mind...and the air inside is stiffling! You know that when you step outside........

Personally I feel the shopping mall culture is killing off the good old Bangalore....and another chain of "environment and health" side-effects are on the way because of these malls, the same way that IT has done to Bangalore in the past!

The reasons most people go to malls:

1) Because suddenly you have nothing better to do...

2) You want to meet your friend, at a mall...and once you meet him/her, you both are clueless what to do

3) If your friend is same sex, and you are straight then you'll both stare away at the opposite sex...this is similar to what we have done when we are at home...stare away blindly at the TV..while eating, while studying, while entertaining guests, sometimes even just to fall asleep!!

4) If your friend is same sex, and you both are gays/lesbians, you'll stare at the same sex...LOL

5) If your friend is opposite sex, then you'll do either of the following:

   a) You are "just friends" with her, so she'll point out all the so-called hot guys, and you'll point out all the so-called hot girls

   b) You "friend" is your girl friend?? Oops...then you'll probably peek glances at the babe who just passed by...a subconscious fantasy will probably make you take a second peep!

6) You want to shop for yourself....apparel...food products...home needs...and in the process you will take home one or more plastic bags which you will dispose irresponsibly! You will fight for your currency change with the autorickshaw wala who drops you home, but you will not fight for the planet nor educate the rest of the zombie shoppers who are also taking plastic bags by the dozens!!

7) You want to eat at McDonald's (or KFC if your love towards your own body and environment is lost!) and feel good about all the goo that's going into your delicate system. And if you are one of those fast-food young mothers who use toilet papers (yuck!), then you will definitely pump your little child's system with generous doses of unhealthy McVeggies, McChicken...I promise you that your child has higher chances of:

   a) getting early puberty
   b) becoming dumber and dumber at studies
   c) becoming more aggressive with age
   d) getting chronic diseases: including gastritis, obesity (most common), heart diseases, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, Type 2 diabetes and worst of all, WEAKENED IMMUNITY!

If you tell me, "Oh, but I just take my son/daughter to eat junk "once in a while"."

I tell you, Every weekend is NOT "once in a while"!

Real communication has become passe, with more and more malls, and their fast food joints spreading like cholera...in fact most conversations nowadays are very focussed....on MONEY or GRATIFICATION. Gratification includes DOING NAUGHTY THINGS ON BED!

Definitions are also changing:

X Love for this funny cult of people is not love any more. It is "making love".

X Contributing to the planet means building software for foreign monopolies, that become cash cows for the already-rich foreign tycoons.

X As children, we played with toys, now most of you have stopped playing with toys...and started playing with human emotions

X Doing a random act of karmic kindness means helping the beggar woman (who will in turn give the money to her drunkard husband)

X Music means loud, metal, anti-Christ bands who exhibit suppressed emotional imbalances at rock shows, and invite a couple of alcohol brands as well to heighten the short-term madness

X Quality time with parents means dragging them to the nearest mall to buy you that latest watch or jewellery or gadget.

Bangalore and its mall culture (includes fast food, rock bands, smoky pubs) are drugging the minds of promising youth...

...Software code is more poetic than Rabindranath Tagore's poetry

...Bloody Mary and McDowell's is more refreshing than healthy herbal juices

...Junk food is more gratifying than home-made organic food

...Singing about heartbreaks (followed by getting drunk) is more soothing than spending time meditating or helping someone

...Urban Agriculture means Farmville on facebook

...Higher grades in high school mean a promising engineer or doctor or lawyer (as if we don't have enough unemployable ones already)

What is the purpose of your life?

To get into IIT? To get out of IIT? To get into Infosys? To get out of Infosys? To get married and create a generation of fast-food dependant children? To leave a huge property behind that has your younger generations spilling blood over?

Is the purpose of your life to struggle?

Is the purpose of your life to:

lose health working for a foreign MNC?
lose self-esteem by becoming a successfully "placed" MBA?
lose the priceless wealth of Vedic scientific knowledge that has survived millenniums, and inspired scientists and world leaders since the times of Archimedes?
lose the spirituality that has held together the magnanimity of the Indian civilization: the most prosperous, the oldest and the most welcoming of all civilizations?

If you want to break the chain, and do something worthy of becoming a legend...start with something very simple. And the simplest thing is to love yourself more, enrol for an Art of Living YES!+ workshop, do good to this planet, and care for more and more people around you. You will live a regret-free life that will inspire many lives around you.

VISTA INDIA: EDUCATING THE GIRL CHILD, EMPOWERING THE RURAL WOMAN

2010-04-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

Dear One,

I wish to introduce a major project headed by Pitaji, as we lovingly call R S V Ratnam—father to the Guru of Joy- His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Today, at the age of 88, through the noble project VISTA INDIA, He has reached a milestone no man or woman of his age would have done, to educate and empower the girl child. Today, he has identified 33 more villages for this work. Current project is ongoing at Sirsi village in Karnataka. Ladies are educated to be able to read, and are taught to stitch and tailor clothes, and jute bags. These are promoted by the Art of Living International Foundation, and all revenues are given back to the women, thus empowering them for this project that does this for our society:

· Creates interdependent women self-help groups

· Provides a platform for free education for the rural girl child

· Supports the jute and cotton industry of India, thus brings holistic, eco-friendly products with Indian artistry into the limelight

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We require more sewing machines. Each costs 3000 rupees. This makes a very significant contribution from you.

Spiritually, a small contribution like this out of your earnings purifies the wealth. And what better way to contribute, than for a cause that is coming to fruition under the aegis of an 88 year old freedom fighter whose dedication is a lesson to be learnt and a cause worth joining.

As a donor, you will enjoy 80G tax exemption. This means 50% tax exemption on your contribution, recognized by the Income Tax Department of India.

If your contribution as an individual or a group or as an organization exceeds 50,000 Rupees, you are eligible for 35AC Tax Exemption, that is, 100% tax exemption.

Through cheque: In favor of “VISTA INDIA”. Please write your name and address at the back of the cheque.

You may also send cash. If a group of two or more donor pool in money for contribution, each donor will receive 80G certificates.

In either case, please mention your name and address (with phone number).

Contact me on gauravnath.vision@gmail.com, once you have readied the cheque or cash.

Love, best wishes

Gaurav

YES!+

2010-04-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

Living is truly an Art, which teaches the Science of Living!

http://yespluspunediary.blogspot.com/2009/01/hinjewadi-november.html

Re-living Life

2010-04-05T03:38:00.000-07:00

Are you a college goer?

A fresher?
A corporate professional who picked up smoking during college days and the peer pressure of "acting" cool?
A rebel who rebels in all the wrong ways that cause long-term damage to your own health?

I am sure after reading this blog by Jitesh, you will re-think why you started smoking in the first place. And why not meditation?

Simply because it is a sincere and innocent request to stop smoking and start re-living! :-)

And for the intelligent people like me and you too (if you are a non-smoker and you meditate everyday), we know what a HIGH meditation gives to the system! It is intoxicating.

By meditation, I mean the real meditation. Cos most people have this misconcept about meditation:

"close your eyes and imagine toony lights...concentrate..Concentrate...CoNcEnTrAtE! cOnCeNtRaTe! ConncennnTrAAteee!!! Boom! Bang! KaBoooommm! "
I'm sure you'll wake up with a splitting headache and disappointment because you didn't see disco lights going zigzag with eyes closed...No! thats not meditation. Meditation as GuruJi says, is "DE-CONCENTRATION"! and the EFFECT of meditation is "CONCENTRATION".

So simply relax, call any Art Of Living volunteer, and register for a YOUTH EMPOWERMENT and SKILLS (YES!+) WORKSHOP (if you are young at heart!). I promise You, it'll be the best investment you'll have ever made in your life.

Time to Re-Live the few beautiful remaining years of this life in the Best Way! Let's learn the Art Of Living!

This Beautiful Planet called EARTH

2010-04-03T04:48:00.000-07:00

Love is Unconditional

Youth is energy, Youth is enthusiasm.

"We not only need to globalize potato chips and coke, but we must globalize wisdom too!"-Sri Sri

"Broaden your vision, deepen your roots." -Sri Sri

Everything has a place in this Creation...Respect Life.

What is your Comfort Zone?

What is your Courage Zone?

When heart speaks to heart, melody is produced.

When head speaks to head, arguments are produced.

MAKE LIFE A CELEBRATION,
NOT A RACE

Smokers will find this very useful information

2010-04-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

ONE REQUEST: Its your life, please put it into perspective. And please enrich it with life-supporting habits, give back to the planet more life, not more smoke and disease.
Please.

Love,
Gaurav

Dont Postpone Your Happiness

2010-04-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

Deccan Herald, 22nd March, 2010

H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Don’t postpone your happiness

Every living creature wants to be happy. Whether it is money, power, or sex, you get into it for the sake of happiness.

To be happy, we seek something. But despite getting it, we are not happy. A school-going boy may think that if he goes to college, he will be more independent, free and therefore happy.

If you ask a college-going boy whether he is happy, he feels that if he gets a job, he will be happy. Talk to somebody who is settled in their job or business, and you will see he is waiting to get a perfect soul mate, to be happy. He gets a soul mate, but he now wants to have kids to be happy. Ask those who have children if they are happy. How can they relax until the children have grown up and have had a good education and are on their own? Ask those who are retired, and done with all their responsibilities; are they happy? They long for the days when they were younger.

There are two ways of looking at life. One is thinking that, “Ill be happy after achieving a certain objective.” The second is saying that “I am happy come what may!” Which one do you want to live? All of one’s life is spent in preparing to be happy someday in the future. It’s like making a bed all night, but having no time to sleep.

How many minutes, hours and days have you spent your life being really happy from within? Those are the only moments you have really lived life. Those were perhaps the days when you were a small kid, completely blissful and happy or a few moments when you were surfing, swimming or sailing or on a mountain top, living in the present and enjoying it.

Happiness is living in the moment with joy, alertness, awareness and compassion. It is being free from within, feeling at home with everybody, without barriers.

Life is 80 per cent joy and 20 per cent misery. But we hold on to the 20 per cent and make it 200 per cent! It is not a conscious act, it just happens. Don’t judge and don’t worry about what others think of you. Whatever they think, is not permanent. Your own opinion about things and people keeps changing.

So why worry about what others think about you. To find harmony, it is not as if you have to physically seek it somewhere for years and practice. At some level, to some degree, everybody is meditating without being aware of it. There are moments when your body, mind and breath are all in harmony.

These are moments when you were surfing, swimming or sailing or are on a mountain top, living in the present and enjoying it. When your mind is in the present that’s when you achieve yoga. The art of living lies in the present moment. Happiness is a factor that we have to consciously pursue.

"Jai Gurudeva"

(Maintain the INNOCENCE of a DEVA and Cultivate the INTELLIGENCE of a GURU)

What is killing India?

2010-03-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

What is killing India?

Peep into this post and give yourself a weekend reality check....

· Pesticides and fertilizers- India is the world’s largest user of fertilizers and pesticides. Look at Bangalore: sparrows have dwindled, no doubt. But now, even the crows say No to the city.

India has been the country with the most advanced forms of irrigation and most holistic way of agriculture. Ancient Indian agriculture systems like the Vedic Farming alone, yields far more superior crops, fruits and vegetables, than any damned fertilizer or pesticides any scientist can create…and without the damage that is caused by fertilizers and pesticides.

What happened after Independence?? “Independence"?...where’s the Independence?

· Genetic Engineering- Just the south of India alone grows 150 varieties of rice! The smart way of agriculture is to grow different crops at different times on same soil…one type of crop enriches the soil for the next different type of crop to grow, thus allowing the soil to recuperate.

…But GM crops turn the agricultural soil sterile, and do not allow other crops to grow. This destroys the precious earth and leaves the farmers and the government defenseless at mercy of patenting laws. Patenting laws prevent farmers from saving crops.

· Plastic: Who invented the damned plastic? The world lived just as comfortably before plastic was invented.

· Bureaucrats: In terms of education quotient, politicians share the lesser blame compared to the so-called educated bureaucrats who are sucking up India and using politicians as pawn. If you feel responsible towards your country, what can you do? Write your Civil Services exam, become a responsible IAS officer. And while you are doing that, come to an Art Of Living workshop, tap enormous personal energy levels and broaden your capacity to take responsibility for yourself and for this planet.

· Education: We have enough unemployable, and poorly conditioned lawyers, engineers and doctors in this country: we don’t want anymore! We need our ancient system of education back which the British systematically wiped out, so that they could fuel religious feuds, misconstrue the caste system, train Indians as lab rats who learn the following plagiarisms:

o Galileo discovered that the Earth goes round the Sun’s orbit. (WRONG)

o Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity. (WRONG)

o Pythagoras discovered (a+b)² = a² + b² + 2ab. (WRONG)

o Oppenheimer discovered the atomic bomb. (WRONG)

o Drs. Steptoe and Edwards invented artificial insemination. (WRONG)

o Archimedes of Syracuse discovered the value of “Pi”. (WRONG)

o …I could go on and on.

All of the above and more were inventions or discoveries already made by ancient Indian scientists who were also spiritually enlightened meditators...such is the magnanimity of the world's grandest and most prosperous ("prosperous" in all senses) civilizations.

The bottom line is, our real Indian education system of Gurukul was systematically stolen by the English centuries ago, and plagiarized to form the Catholic system of modern education, and enforced upon us and the rest of the world during their colonization conquests.

· English medicine (alopathy): Given the plethora of negative side-effects on the body and continual abuse of environmental resources, pharma companies have no real claims to philanthropy, except that English medicines come handy only in emergency situations when it is ok to pop a pill. Some facts here for Indian consumers.

You thought painkillers were a fantastic invention? Wrong! Painkillers dilute the nervous system’s ability to experience real pain in the pain areas of body. It simply postpones the cause of the disease.

You thought anti-depressants are the best boon to mankind?

Wrong! Anti-depressants (...and psychiatrists) only postpone chronic depression to a later time, and this only snowballs into worse depression and suicidal/homophobic tendencies. What’s the solution? No brownie points for guessing: It is MEDITATION.

If you are stressed or depressed, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga alone can solve the problem. If you are not stressed or depressed, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga alone can give you that extra energy burst (with heightened awareness) to do more in less time, at work or at home.

You thought alopathy cures the disease?

No! Alopathy in most cases treats just the SYMPTOMS, not the root cause. :-(

What’s the cure?

Meditation and ayurveda.

Ayurveda attacks the CAUSE behind a disease, not the symptoms. And with zero side-effects…zero environment footprints.

And Panchkarma treatment ensures that diseases cannot touch your subtle body (that’s where diseases start incubating)

I couldn’t have found a better explanation of disease and health:

"Dis-ease occurs when any level of our existence is not at ease. Health is a disease-free body, a quiver-free breath, a stress-free mind, illusion-free intellect and obsession-free memory, an ego that includes all and a soul that is free from sorrow." – Sri Sri

· Computer Games: This doesn’t need elaboration. We all know what it has done to whole generations of kids and teenagers across the globe! some facts

· Junk Food: Carbonated drinks drain the body’s precious calcium and weaken digestion. Junk fast food: we all know what it does. I am amused that all we took from the west was coke and burgers, whereas in fact, we have much more to learn:

ü Team work from the Japanese

ü Precision from the Germans

ü Presentation and marketing from the Americans

ü Frankness and warmth from the Africans

ü Etiquette and manners from the British

ü Human and spiritual values from the Indians.

...choose a healthy lifestyle. Life is about living, and living is an art. ;-)

It is but obvious!

2010-03-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

Want to know 7 of the World's most irresponsible companies??
Bolo bolo...
Bolo bolo...

HERE's the INFAMOUS RED CARPET AWARDS:

http://eco-chick.com/2009/05/3845/profits-before-people/

Thx eco-chick! :-)

Wake Up! SPEAK OUT

2010-03-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Poison on the Platter from Jeffrey Smith on Vimeo.

(This video also features valuable comments of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who besides being a guide to billions worldwide on holistic and people-centric sustainable science, is also educated on ancient vedic science and modern science. He is a visionary with unquestionable integrity, and an all-encompassing, loving, caring concern for this entire planet and all its life forms.)

I am not against GE per se. GE can be applied to human gene therapy, they can be creating medicines in a laboratory under very carefully watched conditions. BUT WE SHOULD NOT feed the products of an infant science to millions of people.

- Jeffrey M Smith

Founder, Institute for Responsible Technology

If you look at GM food from the perspective of a simple human being, not a biotechnologist, or a scientist or an activist,...and you ask yourself:

From all the evidence discovered about the REAL threat of GM food to you, to me, to all people on this planet...would you still support GM food that has NOT been sufficiently tested by neutral bodies???

You and I know that trials of GM foods on lab animals across the world have repeatedly shown that they cause bleeding stomachs, and adversely affect brain, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas and intestine. They have been even linked to higher offspring mortality and causing infertility.

As the most evolved, visible beings on this planet with sufficient intelligence, we are directly responsible for OUR ACTIONS AS WELL AS INACTIONS.

I am responsible for global warming and I am responsible for the insecure IT professionals who are too busy saving brownie points for their next appraisal instead of creating brownie points for the planet they owe more to.

I am responsible for the corruption among the politicians and the distorted bureaucrats that's siphoning out our country morality underneath seats of power, and stashing black money into Swiss bank accounts.

I am responsible for the junk food generation of misled teenagers (more facts) and and few over-enthusiastic ambitious biotechnologists who are spirituality deprived and do not respect the planet and its delicate natural laws.

I am responsible for educating you about it.

But I am not responsible if you choose not to look at it neutrally or neglect doing your own research:

beyond your education conditioning if you are a biotechnologist

beyond your vote bank politics if you are a politician, beyond your comfort zone of "short term gain long term pain" attitude

beyond your insensitivity to your environment

“India is fast becoming the world’s biggest dustbin for this risky and unwanted technology. We are being told that these crops are essential for feeding the growing population, but there is not even one GM crop that produces higher yields. In fact, many of the GM crops produce less than the existing crops. And yet, as many as 56 foods crops are being genetically modified in India.”

-Devinder Sharma,

Food Policy key Analyst

“What we need is a moratorium on release of any GM crop and sale of any GM seed for at least next 5 to 7 years, till their safety is not assured through stringent and impartial tests, because what’s at stake here is not just our health but our very survival”

Dr Pushpa M. Bhargava

Founder Director, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology and Supreme Court’s nominee in the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC).

You know the facts now.
Make a responsible, good choice that is sustainable for you and the planet we share.

The harmony of Religion, Spirituality and Politics

2010-03-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

The role of religion is to make one righteous and loving And politics means caring for people and their welfare. When religion and politics don't coexist then you have corrupt politicians and pseudo-religious leaders.

A religious man who is righteous and loving will definitely care for the welfare of the whole population and hence becomes a true politician. And a true politician can only be righteous and loving. He cannot be anything but religious. All the Avatars and prophets have been caring for people and so were in politics. You can find many examples to this effect.

When religions restrict the freedom to worship and restrict modes of worship they become unsuitable for creating a harmonious society. When religion becomes all encompassing and gives full freedom to pray and worship in any manner -- that religion will bring righteousness and peace in people and will be suitable for any society.

People think politics and religion have to be kept separate because many religions did not give freedom to worship and did not care for all people equally. History has shown that religion has created conflict. But irreligious societies (e.g. communism) have created chaos and corruption.

Today both religion and politics need reform. Religion has to become broader and more spiritual to allow freedom of worship and broader to encompass all the wisdom in the world. And politicians have to become more righteous and spiritual.

- Sri Sri