The Only Heaven on Earth !

Courtesy : PN, a Colleague

An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the World.

So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to China .

On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read ‘$10,000 per call’.

The American, intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.

The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.

The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Japan. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in China and asked a nun passing by what its purpose was.

She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God.

‘O.K., thank you,’ said the American.

He then travelled to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Russia, Germany and France .

In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same ‘$10,000 Per call’ sign under it.

The American then decided to travel up to India to check out if Indians had the same phone in their churches.

He arrived in India , and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read ‘One Rupee per call.’

The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign.

“Father, I’ve traveled all over world and I’ve seen this same golden Telephone in many churches. I’m told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here ?”

Readers, it is your turn…………..

Think …..before you scroll down…………..

Who knows, you may get this right after all……………

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

The priest smiled and answered, “You’re in India now son, It’s a Local Call”.

“This is the only heaven on Earth”.

Courtesy : PN, a Colleague

Well, one may differ with this, but the presence of God is there to be seen and felt in all Indian roads. Especially during this time of the year.

Have a good weekend,

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
14th June 2008
Mumbai

(Skype) Chat with God

Courtesy : Emmeline, an old colleague

God Pinged Me ……..

This is an excellent conversation between ‘God’ and the unknown ‘Me’.
I don’t know as to who has been the composer of such an interesting and captivating conversation ; but has he/she has definitely put in good amount of thought into crafting the same.

Those who don’t believe in God, may also find it worth reading once. Enjoy and Think !

God: Hello. Did you call me?
Me: Called you? No.. Who is this?

God: This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat.
Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something.

God: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too.
Me: Don’t know. But I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic. It’s rush hour all the time.

God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results.
Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it.
Me: I understand. But I still can’t figure out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat.

God: Well I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.

Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?
God: Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.

Me: why are we then constantly unhappy?
God: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.

Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?
God: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.

Me: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty. .
God: Pain is inevitable able, but suffering is optional.

Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?
God: Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer. With that experience their life become better not bitter.

Me: You mean to say such experience is useful?
God: Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.

Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can’t we be free from problems?
God: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons (to) Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you are free from problems.

Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading..
God: If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight.

Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do?
God: Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you road ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the clock.

Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
God: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.

Me: What surprises you about people?
God: When they suffer they ask, “why me?” When they prosper, they never ask “Why me”. Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want to be on the side of the truth.

Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here. I can’t get the answer.
God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not merely a process of discovery but a process of co-creation. You are my co-creator.

Me: How can I get the best out of life?
God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence.
Prepare for the future without fear.

Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
God: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.

Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat.
God: Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don’t believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live. “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that took our breath away!

Courtesy : Emmeline, an old colleague

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
27 Jan 2008
Mumbai

Religious Mishap

It was a happening week in India last week - rarely it is otherwise.

The Government of India contested the existence of Ram, a mythological God in Indian ancient mythology, in the Supreme Court of India ! This was in relation to the narrow canal between the South-Eastern corner of India and Sri Lanka in the sea dividing the two countries, which was proposed to be deepened to allow passage of bigger ships. The Archaelogical Survey of India was challenged to choose between geography/geology and mythology. Being a scientific body it chose the former.

In Ramayana, the ancient mythological story loved by millions of kids and adults, Ram is the central figure. Hanuman, the monkey God, builds a bridge across the sea from the India side to the Sri Lanka side, to send an army of monkeys to help save Sita, Ram’s wife, from her forced captivity on the island by Ravana, the ten-headed king of Ceylon.

I was just wondering about the foolishness of the government officials in contesting the existence of Ram (a la God Himself) in a Court of Law. Though a secular nation, India has a population with 87% Hindus. It is clearly an affront to them, or atleast to many of them, if their faith itself is being challenged in a court by the government of the day ! It turned out to be a no-gainer for the government of course, which hurriedly withdrew its affidavit from the court. It realised the folly of pushing the envelope too much, though it might have contained factually correct information.

Secularism is ofcourse an important and critical tenet of India’s own existence and survival over the past 6 decades after independence from the British. The many governments which came and went over these decades pandered to the religious minorities’ wishes, so as to preserve their majority in the parliament by the split votes management technique. Nothing wrong with that ofcourse, but the religious majority developed certain firewalls to defend their interests.

Without going into politics too much, I just wanted to make one observation - whenever religion mixes with politics, the results have been disastrous for any nation. One sees it in the middle east all the time. Politics when emboldened by religious fanatics, fans the fires of destruction in civil society. However, it would not be prudent for any ruling government to facilitate such fanatics by making foolhardy attempts like taking a Hindu God to Court ! Again, such things happen only in democracies, but that does not take away the foolishness of the whole episode which has captured the imagination of political parties around the country.

Time wasted, which could have been used gainfully in economic development.

Here’s wishing you all “Happy Ganesh Chathurthi” an important Hindu festival celebrating Ganesh, the elephant God who removes hurdles from one’s life.

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
15 Sep 2007
Mumbai

Fascinating Austrian Churches

One of my close friends from Singapore, who is a New Christian, expressed interest in viewing the Church-related pics from my European Trip couple of months ago.

He and myself have had number of interesting and fruitful deliberations on impact of religions on humankind, and have even attempted a joint reading of the New Testament. I was impressed by his new-found dedication and commitment towards religiosity. Ofcourse, I drifted along with intense arguments and questioning of the relevance of any religion in today’s world. Never found convincing answers till now…….still searching for meaning…….how to make one’s life more meaningful to others around oneself.

Anyway, here are some pictures from Churches in Austria……..mostly……..forgetting quickly where I shot these though !

CIMG5560, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

DSC03477, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

DSC03440, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

CIMG5481, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

DSC03054, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

IMGP0366, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

DSC03010, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

CIMG5469, originally uploaded by vjsri99.

Best Regards

Vijay Srinivasan
22 July 2007
Mumbai

Discount Religious Impact on Human Behaviour

I have written about this earlier as well. There is way too much importance attached to religions in this world, and after all, humans created religions. While there should be no dispute about the importance of Faith in discovering one’s own self and providing an anchor in Life, the multitude of religions have caused so much diversity, anxiety, and damage to humankind that one starts to wonder - is it all worth the effort ?

Post 9/11 things have irretrievably changed around the world. There is more suspicion and further damage to the fabric of human society. While it is not absolutely correct to relate any religious teachings to these changes in the world view, one cannot but start to think more seriously about the clash of civilizations and religions. The importance of religions has always been widely exaggerated. There are many individuals that I know of who hardly spend any time thinking about religions or the teachings of their own religions. Only when people group together under a religious umbrella (this happens in all religious faiths), the herd effect starts to affect people, all the more so when there is a strong preacher. I have completely avoided such gatherings, in whatever shape and colour these come, despite family or friendly invites/pressures.

I believe that no religion preaches, or should preach divisiveness or violence against other faiths. Fundamental religions are puritanical and give no importance to changes in today’s world or the changing times and mores of society. Humans are endowed with intelligence and a thinking capability which should facilitate analysis of the impact of such faiths on human behaviour.

It is critical to realise that humans need each other in a society, and to create artificial divisions is surely not a helpful trend. Ungroupism does help, as the intermingling of “open” views creates respect for each other’s beliefs. You see this all the time in professional lives. The ability to analyse and express the results of such analysis has been fundamental to the development of society, and I fail to understand why certain things like the detrimental impact of religions should be taboo and outside the purview of an intelligent discourse.

I have had the opportunity and pleasure of talking to friends of different faiths openly about such views, and I can only say that our bonding has significantly improved resulting from the enhanced respect of each other’s views. Such interchanges, in no way, puts the society at risk, rather it enhances the appreciation of different positions on sensitive topics in today’s changed world. When a disaster strikes, one is not going to worry about one’s faith or religion. The same agnostic approach helps a lot in friendly discussions.

Religious diversity, while not a bad thing in itself, leads to groupism in human society across nations. Such groupism leads to specific behaviours which could cause damage in the long term, or even in the medium term. The only way to reduce its impact is to open up and integrate. It is critical to reduction in suspicion levels around the world. Some religious figures who have world-wide impact, have not helped matters by commenting unnecessarily about other religions or even denominations within their own religion. It is no secret that divisions within the same religion around the world have caused untold sufferings to human society over the past 2000 years.

It is time to sit up, analyse and discuss openly the value and importance of religions to human society. The basic principle should be to integrate faiths, not to segregate. Just recall how the Japanese were interned in the U.S. after the Pearl Harbour attack. There are countless examples of such segregations based on nationality, colour, creed, race, et al. It is time for the new emerging youngsters of the world to start thinking about a different world order in societal integration, and carefully look at their own religious inclinations so as to reduce any harmful impact for their and future generations.

Have a wonderful weekend, and look for new photos soon !

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
14 July 2007
Mumbai

Monotheistic World

Let us imagine a world with a single religion.

Would it be better off than the world today ?

While not a firm believer in religious diktats, I think it would have been better if Adam had propagated a single religious belief along with Eve. Or, for that matter, any other ancient human from the earliest religion which ever came into being.

After all, religion is the creation of man. We seem to forget often this fact.

Today, the world is harping from one extreme to the other, due to religious differences. It is hard to believe this in a world which has moved in an enlightened fashion towards the 21st Century. Man has gone from one huge scientific achievement to yet another breakthrough……almost continuously over the past few decades. Even decoded the human gene ! Synthesised animal lives !!

But, we don’t seem to be able to overcome the passions which are resplendent in human emotions when it comes to dealing with our religions. We are overcome by these emotions, which temporarily desensitize us to human misery.

There are several unnecessary wars going on in this world, as we meet in this blog……mostly waste of human lives, driven by passions, not susceptible to advanced human judgement, passively watched by an impotent United Nations and the rest of the world.

If the world were to have one religion, would it have resulted in the mitigation of such misery ? World’s three leading religions, except Hinduism, seem to be at perennial war (current estimated count of Hindus - 700 million).

Let us avoid religious influences of a negative type when it comes to educating our children, and getting them ready for the next century - I mean the 21st Century, what is left of it.

Hope man’s erudition, wisdom and judgement will take over soon.

Let us pray for the lives which have been plucked out of this world for no reason whatsoever.

Praise the single God, whoever He or She is ! Let Him or Her advise the world at large to resolve its inherent differences by mediating through Kofi Annan, ouch, through the UN Security Council !!

One God is better than Many ! This is what the world has taught us.

Have a great week ahead,

Vijay Srinivasan
6th August 2006
Mumbai

Baptized Mate

Today I attended the Baptism Ceremony of one my spiritual friends and office colleague. DD is an unusual guy, who went through years of questioning before he finally accepted Jesus Christ as his God. He was an atheist, an agnostic, a Hindu, et al, before he discovered the power of the Christian God. This is as per his short and impactful speech that he delivered at the Ceremony.

I always told DD that he needs to complete his currently unfulfilled life by choosing a lifelong partner. He has now first chosen his Saviour, and might heed my advice in due course. I had the misfortune of not checking the batteries on my digital camera till I reached the Covenant Church on Jelapang Road in Bukit Panjang area of Singapore, and by then, it was too late. So, I left the camera in the car and proceeded to the function where I was received by Dr PG, my esteemed colleague and another devout Christian.

I had expected a more sombre event which is to be anticipated by the uninitiated when coming to think of such godly events, when a human being is transformed formally from his past beliefs into a new faith which he has to behold for the rest of his/her life. But, as I had shared with DD on an earlier Sunday Church visit at the same church, the sombre mood was absent - it was a convivial, joyous sentiment which was getting propagated around by the two pastors running the show. I told Dr PG that it is different in India, referring to the mood in the congregation, not to the ceremony per se, which also could be vastly different elsewhere according to the customs of a country, society or church denomination.

At this event, the pastors were singing hymns and songs to praise the God, both in Mandarin and English, and sometimes in Cantonese (due to the presence of some folks from Hong Kong, I guess). Then they asked couple of to-be-baptized people to give short speeches. After that, they dipped each person in full body into holy water, and sent him/her out dripping with water to be dried with a waiting towel-hand.

This was followed by refreshments, and that’s about it !

I felt a certain amount of loss - a feeling that Hinduism has lost another person to Christianity, a good soul after all. Well, that was strange, given that I know DD to be a Christian in spirit and practice for sometime now. DD received his Baptism Certificate from the Church and we took photographs, which hopefully he would pass to me to be published at this Blog site soon.

In the meanwhile, I am only happy for DD as I know that he is ultimately happy with his decision to be formally declared as a Christian. He knows my ever-questioning mind, and I am sure he would entertain my questions ad nauseum when it comes to his faith and his beliefs. Well if the soul needs nurturing, faith has to step in and provide the healing touch.

Best Wishes, Baptized Mate, have a wonderful life ahead as a Christian,

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
9th April 2006
Singapore

Repurposing Life

I have come across a number of God-fearing folks in this world and around me currently. My observation of these well-intentioned people is that they are focused intensely on God and prayers several times in a week. That is goodness, as it allows them to have a direct talk and connection with God without much of a mediation.

However, I feel that there are two aspects in the relationship that man is trying to establish with God Almighty that deserves further investigation in the search for meaning in life. One is the intermediation required by lay man in his communication with God. The establishment of a direct connection with God and the Holy Spirit is dependent on one’s grasp of the Holy Scriptures and a firm understanding of the same. But, I feel, that this is complex business. There is a lot of reading and interpretation that is needed to support this journey of communication. It is tough, long, and out of depth for most common folks. Why not accept help from the experts ?

My attempt to expound on this topic invited serious comments from people that I know well enough to have a trusted relationship. I was definitely not surprised with such comments. I accept the need for a direct communion, but believe that it can be achieved over long periods of prayers by dedicated and committed people who pursue the relationship intensely over many years. Whether it is practically possible for everyone is a big question mark - most people may be think of God once a day, just for a minute or so. May be people visit temples or churches during their weekends, and spend some time, say an hour or so. But such efforts are not adequate in the establishment of serious communication in a solemn environment.

So, my point is that why not outsource such efforts, atleast in the beginning of the journey while one pursues God ? The clerics or pastors or poojaris know the journey well, and have committed their lives to the service of God. Given their depth of knowledge in the spiritual connectivity with God, is it not better to go through them to open channels of communication with God ?

The second aspect is that for those who choose to spend lot of their personal time directly in the communication with God, is it the best way to serve God ? I believe God expects even ordinary people to deliver some service to suffering folks around the world, and would accept that as equivalent of service to Him. Some people I know dispute this, as this kind of “alternate” service is not their wont. They feel that each person is destined to go his or her own way, and there is really no need to synchronise service mentality when it comes to God. I would disagree here - if we go by the logic that people are God’s creation, then helping people is the best way to service God and seek His blessings.

Well, I am sure that many of my friends are going to disagree with me on both these aspects of the relationship with God. I welcome all feedback, and believe that spirited discussions on theological matters is the best way to reduce the complexity we face in these complex issues. Fortunately, good people all around the world realise the importance of discussion in the right spirit and with a good sense of purpose. There is no need for gagging in these matters, after all we are discussing issues which deserve to be on the table any way.

I am reminded here of something which I am not able to desist from commenting on - many years ago, a serious politician somewhere said that people who are not in politics should not comment on political matters. It was totally laughable, like saying that if you are not a chef, do not critique the food that you are eating. In the context of the above topic, while I highlight the need for a certain mediation and assistance in reaching out to God, it does not mean that I cannot interpret the relationship myself. Ofcourse, I can and many of my friends think they do.

Well, Have a Wonderful Weekend Mates…….

VIJAY SRINIVASAN
Camp - Bangalore, India
4th Mar, 2006

Selfishness, Greed and Human Frailty

Well, time to explore the most common trait one finds all around - selfishness. If you follow Buddhism, you would know that Buddha left his family and earthly desires for seeking enlightenment. The key facet of that faith is the elimination of worldly desires in the pursuit of peace and enlightenment.

While I may not agree with the total abandonment of desires (and responsibilities), it is important to step away occasionally from the swirling emotions and desires that one undergoes in daily life. One encounters a non-stop parade of greedy people all around in routine life. Humanity is characterised by selfishness, originating from the need to protect one’s self interests and needs. It is an important aspect of human life - one has to be selfish sometimes, one has to develop a materialistic focus when it comes to one’s own advancement in professional career and family life, because that is what life is made of essentially. Combined with ambition, such a focus has helped many an enterprising individual to succeed in life. So, what can be wrong with being selfish, and greedy, to a certain extent, as these appear to be important and necessary to advance in life, atleast the materialistic one ?

I would like to point out at this juncture that ambition and focus on advancement are very important and sometimes, critical, if one comes from a chaotic society where there is serious competition for the few positions in anything if one really wishes to make it in life. If society is ill-defined, chaotic, largely unregulated, and is mostly left to fend for itself, then you would see the creation of ambitious individuals who are self-driven to a large extent. Such a sociological formulation is not a given, but mostly appears true if you look around, not just at your own country, but at societies all around. Ambitions cannot be regulated, desires and selfishness cannot be overseen and guided.

However, when one oversteps and integrates the selfishness into his/her inherent portfolio of characteristics, then that transforms into an “ordained” greed which permeates one’s life forever. The soul gets corrupted eventully as one progresses in the material world. You would find that you accede to “bribery” requests easily, because the soul ignores your mortal efforts to correct your own behaviour. You try to justify your incorrigible actions, by bringing others who may be in your immediate circle, like your own family members, as justification enough to take those actions, transferring or imputing the benefits of such actions towards them, rather than to yourself as you wish to raise above the impact of these actions. This is stupidity, as in essence you are trying to cheat yourself.

It becomes critical at this stage (probably this happens in your early thirties) to recognise the fact that you have overstepped, your soul is irretrievably corrupted, you are not able to think of anything in a spiritual or holistic manner at all. If you succeed in recognising these aspects of your current status, then that is great progress. Most people, in my experience, don’t reach this state even - they are much too engrossed in their own ambitions to the detriment of their soul.

When business schools start to focus on “ethics” and “corporate compliance”, and advocate “corporate social responsibility”, then we know that this moral and soul corruption has reached an institutional status from being just a personal trait or behaviour, because after all, business life is made up of these very same individuals. When one realises that ambitions and professional advancement can be realised even by other “straight” ways, and that it is not really necessary to be totally selfish to achieve one’s goals, then a new path opens for the soul to redeem itself.

Without downsizing the importance of material advancement, I would like to emphasise that simultaneous, continuous efforts be made by all towards a positive integration of the soul in all aspects of human endeavour. When we see misery in the world, when the world still cannot solve the humanitarian problems in places like Africa, when people die for no reason in the 21st Century, then the collective conscience of the world needs to ask very serious questions. The world bodies that we know of are more interested in preparations for waging the next war, rather than on alleviating the miseries around the world and protecting the environment for the future generations of mankind. Positive changes can only happen when school curricula is modified to “learn” about the world and its problems, and kids are asked to go and do something to help the poor and charities as part of their education. When politicians and ambitious professionals are exposed at a young age to such concepts and execution of projects pertaining to solving some part of the worldly problems, then there is a serious chance that the world will improve in the next generation at least. Otherwise we will leave a legacy of greed and ignorance about world’s ills to our posterity, which would find it is just that much more convenient to continue in the same manner.

Human Life is short, and we should make it productive not just for ourselves but for all around us. Hinduism and New Christianity encourage continuous engagement of ourselves into the daily lives of all around us in a positive way. There are other religions which suggest the same. While religious faith is not necessary to liberate corrupted souls, it does help and assist in the process. Otherwise, one needs to take inspiration from the green nature, for which most of us have only a couple of weeks in a year. Faith is an ongoing process of realisation, recognition, fulfillment and advancement.

More discussions to be expected in the near future, I guess.

Have a wonderful weekend ahead.

VIJAY SRINIVASAN
Singapore

Challenges of Soul-less Existence

Here we are back to the favourite topic again !

Most folks around us carry on their normal routine life with seeming nonchalance towards the chaos around them. This means one of two things - they either don’t care or are not affected by what goes on around them ; or, they have achieved spiritual peace with their immediate environment. I tend to believe the first - as the world moves on, most people wish to keep pace with their jobs and lives. The best thing for these folks is to forget the past, ignore the future, and keep pace with the present. This way they gain their place in what is called as the “rat race”.

It is interesting to observe what goes on - people in general are ambitious and good in nature. They wish to succeed in life and achieve economic equilibrium. They want their family lives to be smooth and their kids to succeed in life as well. While there is a significant proportion of “normal” believers in this majority crowd of “normal” folks we see everyday on the road and the subway, the proportion of “free thinkers” is also growing. The reason for this is the inability of the normal person to reconcile differences and inequities in his learning experiences. It would have been ideal if all of mankind belonged to just one religious faith of some kind. That would have been a simple solution to most of today’s problems around the world concerning religions. When man sees that there are differences all around, and realises that the world is full of greedy folks who would not think twice about enriching themselves in their pursuit of material wealth, and that world has more than its fair share of sinners, all of that goes to work on his worldly perceptions. Why is there suffering in this world ? Why people kill each other in the name of religion and faith ? Why is there so much hatred ? How come some people seem to be the “favoured” lot, while most barely eke out an existence ?

Some folks I do know well seem to be separating them from these chaotic conditions and thoughts which accompany one as he or she navigates around the world. Almost all of these folks seem to truly “believe” in the existence of a supernatural force, and its ability to focus their minds towards a greater cause. These folks are just normal people, and also have their frustrations when it comes to dealing with world’s endless problems as these pertain to them. However, what is significant is that they are able to stand out on a daily basis, trying to integrate their souls with the greater spirit which permeates this Universe. I am told it is a wonderful experience, one which every person in this world would benefit from - not a “shortcut” to solving world’s ills or one’s immediate problems, but an experience which would calm one’s senses and soul in this seemingly maddening world.

Well, I am trying to delve deeper and determine this experience from the perspective of one of those millions of folks who are normally going about their lives in what I can term as “soul-less” manner. The angle here is the segregration of material aspects of life from soul’s existence, eliminating routine desires from one’s life, and then test the experience which befalls one as we seek out the greater spirit of life. This should not be frightening as it sounds, except it could turn one against oneself when the greater truth is realised. That the heretofore soul-less existence has not been worth it, it could have been much more fruitful if the spiritual integration were achieved at an earlier point in one’s life, and in any case, it is never too late. Look at yourself, your innate self, as you commit to your daily activities today. Think through what you aim to accomplish, how it would impact you and others around you. Ask yourself whether your actions would benefit others. Stand away from your own self for a moment and try to elevate your soul to a meaningful existence, though for a few moments. Try to seek out the greater spirit with peace and calm.

You would experience the inner brightness and purity which can only open your eyes towards the reality of your life.

More in next blog……

VIJAY SRINIVASAN
Singapore

Dated 7th Feb 2006