Suhas-Ramakrishnan2.jpg

Suhas Ramakrishnan

<h3 style="text-align: center;">From the Travel Bag of a Solo Biker</h3>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">SUHAS RAMAKRISHNAN is a quintessential biker, who
 loves to venture on his beloved Harley. In one of his recent expeditions, he finds inspiration at the famous Uluru
 in Central Australia. Through one of the most punishing deserts on Earth, this expedition is as much about courage
 as it is about perseverance and unwavering self-belief. Suhas also shares some valuable tips, especially for those
 bitten by the solo travel bug.</h4>
&nbsp;
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><img alt="on-the-go" class="img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/SUHAS_RAMAKRISHNAN_2d0a6ad1c1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:36:05.782Z">
</h4>
More often than not, we tend to forget that we need to venture out into the open, which
 helps us have a different perspective to life!
Mid last year, while I was flying out of Australia, I looked down from my window and saw
 this glorious red rock glowing in the late afternoon light. It planted the seed in my head of traveling to Uluru on
 my Harley. In my last solo expedition from Sydney to Perth, between the East and West Coasts of Australia, I had
 covered a distance of approximately 7,000 kms. But this time it was going to 
 be over 8,000 kms of the unforgiving Australian desert. I slowly started working towards it, as each and every
 detail of my journey needed to be laid out and meticulously planned.
I wanted to do a round trip from Sydney, covering the legendary Australian outback and
 seeing the World Heritage site of Uluru and the Kata Tjuta National Park. I wanted to push my boundaries, ensuring
 that this trip was more challenging than my previous one. And what better way to do it than being alone on the road,
 with my bike, in the middle of nowhere!
Life according to me is a celebration: the more you celebrate, the more there is in life
 to celebrate. So I decided to “celebrate life” under the stars, close to one of Australia’s most recognizable
 landmarks – Uluru.
<img alt="on-the-go" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Onthego2_ab0fc3830d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:37:57.814Z">

I have always enjoyed the mental focus and solitude of riding a motorcycle. You have no
 distractions and can really enjoy the moment, and be in tune with nature with the pleasure of living in the here and
 now. Riding a motorcycle enables the perfect relationship between rhythmic movement and internal stillness, drawing
 out the physical force like no other.
I had named this trip “The Mile Muncher” from the day I started working on it, as I was
 going to have to travel an average of 500 kilometers on a daily basis. In my previous ride, I only had to ride from
 east to west, but this trip covered all four directions, starting west from Sydney, going north from Port Augusta in
 South Australia, traveling east from Tennent Creek in the Northern Territory, and south from Rockhampton in
 Queensland back to Sydney. The total distance was 8,312 kms (5,165 miles) spanning 17 days.
<img alt="on-the-go" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Onthego3_dc3aab62b7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:39:11.189Z">

I was told before I embarked on the expedition, by a few seasoned travelers, that some
 stretches were really dangerous owing to the cross winds that are a normal occurrence in the deserts of central
 Australian. Along with the winds were the ever-present and iconic road trains, without which the roads are pretty
 much empty. I also geared up for the frequent sand storms, thanks to the mining that happens all through the desert.
 Along the track were the usual mix of kangaroos, emus, camels, livestock and birds of prey, especially the famous
 wedge-tailed eagle, which has an approximate wing span of 9 metres when in flight.
Every single ride that I’ve completed till now has taught me some important life
 lessons, the most important one being that not everything goes according to plan, and how ever much you plan, things
 happen which are outside your control and comfort zone. The only way to get out of sticky situations is to fall back
 on those lessons that are forcibly taught. Like they say “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes
 from bad judgment.” So there is always something to celebrate in every situation, as it teaches us to reach new
 heights in whatever we are trying to accomplish.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, 
 and sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself!</h5>
<hr>
<img alt="on-the-go" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Onthego4_4f1ec74f5f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:39:58.470Z">

I didn’t do too many things different this time around, just kept it simple. Laying out
 all the particulars and planning the travel to the finest detail provided the foundation on which the broader
 aspects of my ride were built. Once the route was finalized, I started planning accommodation and also making sure
 there were enough places to see nearby after each day’s ride.
More than the physical effort that it takes on these kinds of expeditions, I would say
 the effort is psychological, as the mind tends to always look for negatives in every situ-ation. This particular
 phase during my preparation was more challenging. Staying positive through the days of build-up and focusing only on
 one goal, which was to come back home safe and sound with a lifetime’s worth of memories, was among the things I did
 before embarking on my ride.
<h4><img alt="on-the-go" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Onthego5_600bf2ef71.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:40:46.367Z">
</h4>
Here are some tips that may come handy while solo traveling:

Always keep an open mind for whatever situation you
 might get into.
Never lose focus of the goal, no matter the
 adversity. Even if you lose a couple of battles in between, make sure the war is won at the end, because when you
 are on the road not everything goes according to plan and you need to be very flexible and do whatever it takes to
 reach the next milestone.
Set yourself a target or an assignment each day, as
 this keeps every single day interesting. After the completion of that task, the sense of accomplishment will make
 you feel more connected and fulfilled, and you will be more motivated for the subsequent day’s travel. This is a
 very important mental exercise, especially while traveling solo, as you are likely to lack motivation as a result of
 missing human connection.
Last but not least, solo travel gives you the space to
 think and deal with stuff like self-doubt and emotional baggage, that you inadvertently tend to push to
 the back seat while trying to get on with your normal life. I think it is a great catch-up time with your own self,
 which invariably results in more clarity in your life.
Nonetheless, travelling is like a drug: sometimes you find yourself in the middle of
 nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself!
<h4><img alt="on-the-go" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Onthego6_c2201884a3.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:43:05.980Z">
</h4>
Adapted from an interview originally published at <a
 href="http://www.bohotraveller.com" target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.bohotraveller.com</a>. 
 Read the full interview at <a
 href="https://www.bohotraveller.com/blog-global/insanity-revisited-solo-biking-expedition-on-the-worlds-harshest-desert-australia"
 target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.bohotraveller.com/blog-global/insanity-revisited-solo-biking-expedition-on-the-worlds-harshest-desert-australia</a>

<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by SUHAS RAMAKRISHNAN</h4>
<hr>

On the go

Sukriti is the founder of Doctor of Happiness. She is an artist who is helping young people with depression and other mental conditions through her art and online platform. Her Instagram account tagline is “A Reservoir of Hope & Encouragement.” She helps youth handle peer pressure, and the burden of being politically correct all the time, feeling it to be the need of the hour.

Sukriti-Vadhera-Kohli.jpg

Sukriti Vadhera Kohli

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">AN ART ESSAY</h3>
<h4>SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI is the founder of Doctor of Happiness, helping young
 people with depression and other mental conditions through her art and online platform. Here she speaks with VANESSA PATEL about what inspired her to open up this forum, and what a difference
 art can make to our well-being.</h4>
Q: Hullo Sukriti, can you please tell us about yourself
 and your organization, Doctor of Happiness?
SVK: When I started teaching, about 10 years back,
 I was interacting with a lot of young people. My students were aged 18 and 19, and I realized there were a lot of
 mental health issues in the country. Our students are facing a lot of pressure, and the pressure isn’t just about
 studies, it’s from multiple, complicated situations that young people are dealing with. To say that “College life is
 the best life” and “Youth is the best time” may not be true for everybody.
I began thinking that there has to be something that can be done for the mental health
 of Indian youth. I don’t have a psychology background; I am an artist. When I was in school, I was also in a very dark
 space and art helped me cope, so the thought came to me, “Why can’t I create a platform?” Before this, there were so
 many things I wanted to do but they never worked out. It took me three years to come up with the idea that art can
 inspire people. Can art be the reason for people to become hopeful?
So on January 2, 2018, I started my first online post and the idea was to reach out to
 as many people as possible. I also researched and discovered that there are a lot of artists working on mental health
 all over the world. They were doing a lot of dark stuff and I felt, “What is the point if I’m already in a dark space,
 and I see a dark illustration and I’m pulled into it? It doesn’t help. In fact it pulls me back.” So, consciously I
 decided that I would not use colors in my illustrations, only black and white in a minimalistic way. I would say
 something very profound in a simple way, so that it didn’t complicate, it didn’t overwhelm, it didn’t create more
 anxiety, it was not gyan, only something which would bring smiles to faces. I make a conscious effort to make positive
 art. It is very difficult, actually, for a subject like mental health. I had to really rack my brain and research a
 lot.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">I make a conscious effort to make positive art. 
 It is very difficult, actually, for a subject like mental health. 
 I had to really rack my brain and research a lot.
</h5>
<hr>
Q: You use art to tell a story or convey a message. Your
 illustrations also have a quirkiness, although that doesn’t take away from the somber topics you’re addressing. How
 do you inject that little bit of lightheartedness and still make the point?
SVK: It’s really a big challenge, but I believe one
 thing: unhappy people make other people unhappy, and happy people make other people happy. To be very honest, with the
 challenges we face in life, it’s difficult to be happy all the time. To make art like that I need to become happy
 first. I’m a mother of a six-year-old, I have my family to look after, I have my work to do, so sometimes it’s a
 challenge to make myself happy.
But I’ll tell you one thing, the secret lies in dealing with daily problems. Because I
 cope with them I know how hard it is, and I overcome them and illustrate that. Whatever I’m dealing with I’m
 illustrating, so the quirkiness comes from the fact that the problems are there but I’m going to overcome them. I have
 illustrated many books, but for the first time in many years I have been able to use art for something that creates
 value in other people’s lives.
My quirkiness remains the same, but what I create for Doc of Happiness is very profound.
 Sometimes, even I am encouraged by my illustrations – when I look at something I have made 6 months back.
<img class="lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/sukriti2_aad048749d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:44:39.839Z" />

Q: I don’t see your work touching on anything topical or
 political because that’s an entirely different subject.
SVK: Well, I want to work purely on mental health,
 but I do sometimes touch upon what’s going on and how to survive it. For example, when all the protests were going on
 around the country, a lot of people with anxiety were not okay to participate. And that was seen as a sign of
 cowardice. I wrote a blog and so many people responded. I supported them not to let anyone convince them they were
 cowards. It was their choice; they could still be at home and support the process. So, while I don’t really illustrate
 on those topics, I do have interactive sessions regarding what is going on right now.
Q: You’re helping them to handle peer pressure because
 there is so much burden on the youth to be politically correct all the time.
SVK: Yes, absolutely, and it is the need of the
 hour.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">My quirkiness remains the same, 
 but what I create for Doc of Happiness 
 is very profound. Sometimes, 
 even I am encouraged by my illustrations.
</h5>
<hr>
Q: Your Instagram account tagline is “A Reservoir of Hope
 &amp; Encouragement.” How does this help you to connect with your followers?
SVK: I wanted to create an online platform which is
 a reservoir of hope. And when I went for the recent Spokenfest in Mumbai, I had so many followers come to me – people
 with whom I had interacted through direct messaging, but who I didn’t know. They told me that when they’re in a really
 dark place, they search Doc of Happiness and look at my illustrations, and that is their online reservoir of hope.
Nowadays we are using our mobile phones constantly, our eyes are always on the phone. So
 when there is a space like Doc of Happiness, which is not negative or gossipy, and it’s not just humor, it’s something
 meaningful, then I see that it is a reservoir of hope. It was the followers who told me this, so I only recently
 changed the description. Earlier I thought I illustrated to empathize and give hope. Now I realize that it’s actually
 beyond that. There is a bank of goodness lying somewhere which anyone can tap into whenever they wish, like an ATM.

A lot of my followers get in touch with me through direct messaging and, let me tell
 you, there is so much loneliness out there. Even though they may have many followers on social media and many real
 life friends, deep down they feel very lonely. They don’t have anyone to express what they’re feeling.
<img class="lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/sukriti3_b00bef44d7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:46:33.229Z" />

Q: There are more deaths today through suicide than from
 wars, murder and natural disasters put together. With depression becoming so prevalent, how effective is your reach
 amongst the youth? Is social media a legitimate means of seeking and finding support?
SVK: I’m not a psychiatrist or a psychologist. I’m
 a complete believer in medical science, but I also believe that with medical science we need some kind of meditation
 philosophy, some kind of support system. When we put both together then we can solve things. Whenever I talk with
 someone who is going through a mental issue, I request them to consult a doctor. And because they trust me – of course
 I have to build that trust – they may approach a doctor. There are people who have started therapy as a result.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">I also believe that with medical science 
 we need some kind of meditation philosophy, 
 some kind of support system. 
 When we put both together 
 then we can solve things.
</h5>
<hr>
As long as Doc of Happiness is helping people overcome their fears, and removing the
 stigma, then it is working, even if it is online. My dream is to one day create a place where people can check in and
 really take care of themselves through organic foods, meditation, prayers and art or music therapy. I’ve never seen a
 place with this concept anywhere in the world, so maybe someday I will be do it, because nothing is impossible.
Young people are lonely and they’re seeking. I’m learning every day that people are
 wanting help, and they are waiting; they are not closed to the idea. I used to think people were closed to advice, but
 everyone is seeking answers. I conducted a workshop on mental health at a college in Mumbai. I told them that I wanted
 it to be an interactive session, so I encouraged the students to ask me questions about their mental health. Not a
 single person put their hand up. I asked them to take a piece of paper and write their question on it, without putting
 their name. At first, I got two questions, then slowly they trickled in, and by the end the session had to be
 extended. I realized that just because they didn’t have the courage to ask me questions, it didn’t mean they weren’t
 seeking advice, or that they were fine. I know that people are ready.
I’ll tell you a crazy thing – twelve top publishers have refused to publish my book
 because they feel it won’t work. I wanted to make a book that costs only 100 to 120 rupees so that anyone can buy it.
 Illustrations do work. So, I decided to self-publish and started printing diaries. My orders are not stopping, which
 means that there is a real demand. Maybe someday the book will also get published; I don’t know how long that will
 take but I’m in no hurry. I’m observing these things and really reflecting. People want to know, but publishers don’t
 understand because there’s still a stigma. It happens the minute I mention mental wellness.
That’s why I responded to you, because I feel your magazine truly understands the need
 and knows there’s a demand. It may be slow, it may be at a snail’s pace, but even if one percent of readers are
 encouraged from your magazine, you’ve achieved the purpose. If you save one life, you’ve done it.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">People connect to real life experiences, 
 people connect to things 
 which are spoken from the heart.
</h5>
<hr>
Q: How much of your own life experience has led you to use
 this means of creating awareness and reaching out to individuals who find it difficult to open up about their mental
 issues?
SVK: I have been invited to conduct workshops on
 mental health at various colleges and students usually message me or ask me to talk at these festivals, so one leads
 to another and it becomes a chain reaction. After my sessions, faculty members usually tell me that even they can
 connect with what I was saying, or they tell me to take a session for the teachers and staff. There is so much stigma
 attached to mental health issues that people feel only a psychologist or a psychiatrist is eligible to talk on the
 subject and they make it very technical and scientific.
I think it’s about the heart. People connect to real life experiences, people connect to
 things which are spoken from the heart, and then I think maybe together we can remove the stigma from it.
<img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/sukriti4_9f11854ed2.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:47:29.304Z" />

Q: In most parts of the world, women hold a secondary
 social status across all economic backgrounds. How can we encourage the women in our life to tap into their inherent
 potential?
SVK: I had made an illustration for Women’s Day in
 2019 where I showed a woman peeping inside her own self and light is coming from within her. What I meant to depict is
 that we really need to believe in our own potential. All these years we’ve been conditioned to believe that we cannot
 survive in our own light. So, I think we need to tap into this inner potential, and start believing that we are
 capable enough to overcome anything. There is no other way. Male bashing will not help – we need to realize our own
 potential. We can keep blaming, but we must believe we are good enough. Also, I know a lot of men who completely
 understand, so let’s not make it generic. I feel we need to look deep within and ask, “Am I enough?” When all of us
 are able to answer this with a yes, then we will overcome it.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">To me, it is paying a debt 
 of gratitude to my mentor, 
 because I have survived with 
 the help of his writings and my art.
</h5>
<hr>
Q: You are a mentor to many people. Do you have a mentor,
 someone who you look up to and wish to emulate? What is it about that person that inspires you?
SVK: I practice Buddhism and I’m most inspired by
 the writings of Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, a Japanese philosopher who is also an author and a photographer. He is somebody who
 has had many dialogues with people all over the world regarding world peace, and his writings are a reservoir of hope
 for me. So, if Doc of Happiness is a reservoir of hope for others, he is my reservoir because his writings point me in
 a positive direction, they show me what is correct and incorrect, and how can I improve myself, again through his
 life. So, yes, he’s my mentor, and I have written to him about this platform. To me, it is paying a debt of gratitude
 to my mentor, because I have survived with the help of his writings and my art. Doc of Happiness is truly for him.
Instagram &amp; Facebook: @docofhappiness
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Art Essay by SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI 
 Interviewed by VANESSA PATEL</h4>
<hr>

Doctor of happiness

<h4>SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI is an artist whose mission is to encourage people to discover well-being. Here she shares her own experience of being courageous, and how that courage has led to happiness in her family. &nbsp;</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy1a_bf94feb6d5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T09:53:34.487Z" alt="dog_and_a_small_boy1"><hr><h4>Courage comes in all sizes</h4>I have never been a dog or a cat person or, let’s put it this way, an animal person. I have been fearful of dogs owned by my friends and family members, and never once thought of overcoming that fear. The same was true for my husband until our son came into our lives. During the Covid lockdown, his desire to have a pet became stronger than ever. The fortunate or unfortunate part was that this six-year-old never threw a tantrum or insisted; rather, he prayed his way into our hearts.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy2_d477dba7e4.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T09:55:19.689Z" alt="dog_and_a_small_boy"><hr>Every night for two years, Eklavya prayed with all his heart for his future dog and for his fearful parents to somehow agree. And just when our hearts began to melt, he expressed his desire to adopt and not buy a dog. Completely taken aback, we warned him, “Your dog won’t be as good looking when he’s no longer a puppy!” Pat came the reply, “Mom, dad, looks don’t matter!” I think that was our final melting point. Just like that, our hearts changed, and we adopted an Indie puppy. Tintin is now a happy, naughty, seven-month-old pup, and very much a part of our family.&nbsp; This experience teaches me every day that happiness requires courage, sometimes in small doses, and other times in large quantities.&nbsp;<hr><h4>Courage is not the opposite of fear</h4>Anyone living with fear can tell you how unhappy they feel. In order to truly become happy, we have to break the shackles of fear. Mental courage is the willingness to steel our <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/about-a-dog-and-a-small-boy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">minds and hearts</a> to try something difficult, knowing that the outcome is uncertain, yet still being willing to continue in the hope that it will get better.&nbsp;Just like the old me, a lot of people associate courage with lion-heartedness, and if they are fearful, they assume that they’re not courageous. But this thinking is mistaken. Courage is not the lack of fear. If courage were simply fearlessness, then all serial killers are probably more courageous than most of us.&nbsp;Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”I have an honest confession to make – I am afraid of our puppy most of the time, but somehow find the courage when I need to put my hand inside his mouth to remove toys and other objects.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy3_1_c86785ffcc.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:09:42.416Z" alt=""><hr><h4>Where to find courage?</h4>Just like hope and compassion, courage lies within us at all times. We might have to dig deep, but it does exist. How do we access it?<h5>To begin</h5><ul><li>Believe in yourself more than your fears. &nbsp;</li><li>The next and crucial thing is to take that first step.&nbsp; Try this small exercise: for a month, try and say yes to the opportunities that look scary and then watch how you respond. You will be surprised.</li><li>Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next one.</li></ul><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy4_1_6490ee141e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:21:30.118Z" alt=""><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy5_1_b58be38dda.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:22:21.951Z" alt="dog-and-a-small-boy4"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy7_1_fa7ec5c697.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:23:59.132Z" alt="">&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy6_58856c6082.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:04:31.460Z" alt=""><hr><h4>Lead a happier life</h4>Taking that step of saying yes to Eklavya has benefited me in more ways than one:We were able to set an example for our son.Choosing courage equipped us with the ability to empower him to do the same.Being courageous in the midst of fear honed our character, making us stronger.Embracing courage increased our sense of happiness. We have had so many happy moments with Tintin.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy8_db2239f6ae.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:06:13.477Z" alt=""><hr>To sum it up, courage is the willingness to move forward, despite the fear, worry, and anxiety that might be threatening to overwhelm us.One of the best ways to be courageous is to face fear head-on but refuse to allow it to paralyze you. If you let it, fear has the power to stop you from being happy, moving forward, taking risks, or even owning a dog! Learn to become courageous so that you can live a regret-free, happy life and show others that it’s possible to do the same.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy9_1a70d3de22.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:12:56.029Z" alt=""><hr><hr><h4>Art by SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI</h4><hr>

About a dog and a small boy

Sulochana is from Chennai, India, and studies at the Heartfulness International School, Omega Branch. Her passion for writing is fueled by her zeal for reading. She has been learning Hindustani music for five years, and is a part of the Creaplay Theater group at school.

sulochana-santhosh.webp

Sulochana Santhosh

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SULOCHANA SANTHOSH is a young and inspired writer who reminds us of the need to care for our ocean and the environment in general. What are you doing to make a difference?</h4>&nbsp;Saturdays are days meant for sleeping in. Lazing around. Days where you eat your favorite breakfast in bed (hopefully), not days where you wake up at 5 a.m. and participate in a beach clean-up.Hi! I’m River and I’m 12 years old. My family runs Save the Seas Campaign. Boring! I know! And yes, my name is actually River. My older sister’s name is even worse (according to me). It’s Ocean. The strange thing is, she actually likes her name. No, she’s not a weirdo, she’s a people-pleaser. Lately, she’s been obsessed with saving the seas and whatnot. My parents were so excited when she announced she was going to help them with their campaign this year that they decided this Saturday beach clean-up would be a celebration to welcome her into the campaign.Anyway, fast forward to “B-day” (Get it? Beach-day, never mind). It was a tug-of-war from the get-go. I absolutely refused to get up, and my parents left Ocean, their commander-in-chief, to wage this battle. All I can say is that it was 5 a.m., and she should have expected she wouldn’t win. Once I was finally up, our parents made us walk to the beach as a good warm up. Can you believe it?Now came the actual war. The second we reached the beach, I told my parents that I would be working alone in a far-away corner. They tried to get us all to work together, but they soon realized they were fighting a losing battle and gave up. Once I was in my corner of the beach, I thought to myself, “Great! Now I can just fool around in the water instead of cleaning the beach.”&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/once_upon_saturday2_29a49ae36d.webp" alt="once-upon-saturday2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_once_upon_saturday2_29a49ae36d.webp 156w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_once_upon_saturday2_29a49ae36d.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_once_upon_saturday2_29a49ae36d.webp 750w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp;As I got into the cool water, however, I noticed something, a seahorse stuck in a plastic bag. At that moment, I felt a pang of guilt. I knew I couldn’t let the poor thing suffer and had to help somehow. So, I swam under the bag, undid the knot, and set the seahorse free.As I turned to leave, I heard a squeaky, high-pitched voice say, “Thank you, that was kind. People like you are the only reason I haven’t given up on humanity yet.”&nbsp; I nearly jumped out of my skin as I stammered, “Y-you c-can t-talk?”&nbsp; The seahorse just looked at me, disappointed, as he sighed, “Of course I can talk. I always knew humans were ignorant creatures.”Still barely understanding what was going on, I asked him, “Wait please. Was the sea always this polluted?” “Well, the noticeable pollution of the seas started around the late 1400s all over the world, and although there were protests by many people, on and off, it was only recognized as an actual threat around the 1960s and the 1970s.” “And is this the case all over the world?” “Yes, as runoff and whale hunting are the <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/3-natural-ways-to-harness-the-power-of-water" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">water pollution</a> threats from Asia, ghastly oil spills are mostly from the Middle Eastern countries and the Americas. As for excessive fishing, littering, and garbage dumping, well, all of you are to blame for it.”“Oh! I sincerely apologize on behalf of everyone. What can we do to help?” “Seas are the birthplace of all ecosystems as life originated here. So, by saving them, we are essentially saving ourselves. The good part is, lots of people have started to realize that our seas need saving. So, if we all come together to save our seas, there is still <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/a-diy-guide-to-wellbeing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hope for the future</a>.”---“River, get out of bed! We’re going to be late!”&nbsp; Wait, what? “Didn’t we just come back from the beach clean-up?” I asked befuddled. “What? River, we’re going to be really late if you don’t get up asap!”&nbsp; I jumped out of bed and started getting ready. “All right, all right, I’m up.”Ah, so was that all a dream?“River, this is the most energetic I’ve ever seen you,” joked the commander-in-chief, Ocean. Today wasn’t going to be a war.As I was thinking about my dream, I was left with this thought:The magnificent, glistening sea, Infinite in wisdom and beauty, Through its abundance and variety, Never stops giving, Giving us all she has, So, tell me, when will we give back? Oh, mother sea, I bow down to you With gratitude, humility, and apologies&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/once_upon_saturday3_443c49ef73.webp" alt="once-upon-saturday3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_once_upon_saturday3_443c49ef73.webp 156w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_once_upon_saturday3_443c49ef73.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_once_upon_saturday3_443c49ef73.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>

Once upon a Saturday

Suraj is currently an MBA student at UC Berkeley Haas. He has been a consultant for large government clients and studied engineering at Georgia Tech. Suraj is a storyteller at heart, and is a blogger and public speaker. His aspiration is to create ripples of change in the communities he’s in.

Suraj-Seghal.jpg

Suraj Sehgal

<h4>Back in 2015, while a college student, SURAJ SEHGAL explored friendship, and came up with 4 ways to be a better friend. They are timeless in their wisdom and will help you cultivate a giving attitude toward others.</h4>It wasn’t until I came to college that I began to appreciate my friends and what it meant to have a friendship. When you are suddenly&nbsp;surrounded by people everywhere, and are&nbsp;also given more duties&nbsp;and responsibility, the day-to-day tradeoff between investing in friendships and expending effort&nbsp;on classes, work, and organizations becomes&nbsp;much more tangible.&nbsp;For me, this helped me realize some important aspects of friendship that have helped me grow.Whether you are trying to make new relationships or maintain old bonds, below are a few simple ways in which you can improve that balance and grow to become a better friend:<img class="image_resized" style="width:25%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/be_a_better_friend2_6cb9f0b45f.jpg" alt="be-a-better-friend2.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_be_a_better_friend2_6cb9f0b45f.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw"><h4>1. Show up</h4>Whether it’s an event that your friend has planned or just a trip to the grocery store, being present is a powerful way of showing that you care. Even just seeing someone’s face over several occasions&nbsp;can go a long way in making them seem familiar.<img class="image_resized" style="width:25%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/be_a_better_friend3_d5c2eb8bd7.jpg" alt="be-a-better-friend3.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_be_a_better_friend3_d5c2eb8bd7.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw"><h4>2. Reach out&nbsp;</h4>When&nbsp;you remember somebody you haven’t spoken to in a while, take a moment to reach out to them. It takes no more than a minute to text someone a “How are you?” or a “Let’s catch up!”, but in a world where everyone knows hundreds of people, taking the time to reach out with a simple hello can make you&nbsp;stand out. After all, don’t we all like to be remembered?<img class="image_resized" style="width:25%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/be_a_better_friend4_de7dc34532.jpg" alt="be-a-better-friend4.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_be_a_better_friend4_de7dc34532.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw"><h4>3. Accommodate</h4>For many of us, with our busy lives, busy jobs, and constant work, we often find it very&nbsp;difficult to see the relevance of talking to anybody&nbsp;who is not&nbsp;actively present&nbsp;in our day-to-day&nbsp;activities.&nbsp;We become so absorbed in our&nbsp;mundane tasks that we often forget those people&nbsp;who have helped to&nbsp;make our experiences&nbsp;worthwhile. When someone is making an effort to reach out to you, try to accommodate. Recognize how much effort the other person has been making by letting them know that you notice how much they have been giving to you and try to give back as much as you can.<img class="image_resized" style="width:25%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/be_a_better_friend5_e35f831567.jpg" alt="be-a-better-friend5.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_be_a_better_friend5_e35f831567.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw"><h4>4. Appreciate&nbsp;</h4>Many times, we forget that along with our families, our friends have shaped much of who we are today. Take a brief moment to look within and acknowledge&nbsp;who has had an impact on you. Whether it has been because of a deep&nbsp;conversation or a passing compliment, if someone has helped to change you or your perspective, take the time to let them know – it has the potential to mean more than you can imagine.&nbsp;We all meet each other for a reason, and it is important to appreciate that&nbsp;everyone plays a&nbsp;role&nbsp;in our development and growth, whether it is&nbsp;the professor&nbsp;who taught you&nbsp;discipline or the grade school bully who helped&nbsp;you develop patience.Ultimately, there is no formula for being a better friend. Maintaining friendships and good relationships is a continual process that takes intention, love, and time. And while we may never be perfect friends, with some planning and better understanding, our little efforts can go a long way in helping uplift those who have helped us on our journey.First published in Heartfulness Magazine in November 2015<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL</h4><hr>&nbsp;

4 ways to be a better friend

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SURAJ SEHGAL reflects upon coming together and creating community with change and vision.</h4>Moving to a new place, graduating, starting a new job, getting married. There are so many different phases in our lives and points in our life in which we find ourselves reflecting on what is our community, where is our community, and how we want to be a part of it, and how we want to build community. In our own experience, having moved from the east coast to west coast of the USA for the first time, we needed to rebuild a sense of people, a community of people that help each other and stay in touch with each other. Here are a few things we discovered that helped us to feel part of a new community.&nbsp;So number one is <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/leave-it-behind-the-baseline" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">consistency</a>, doing things regularly, whether it’s a weekly group meditation and dinner, or a monthly trip or hike, or a consistent meet up. Consistency in the world that we live in today, where everyone is flaking and has a million different priorities, is a challenge. But part of setting up a community is showing that you care about it, and so being consistent and regular in whatever you pursue, really goes a long way in setting up a long term community. If it’s a newsletter, or an online community, a newsletter that is weekly, biweekly, quarterly – whatever it is, be consistent. Or, have a phone call with a friend, be consistent and regular with those things.&nbsp;The second is availability, a big <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-4-phases-of-community" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">part of community</a>, whether it’s meditation or otherwise, is asking yourself the question: How am I making myself available to other people? This doesn’t mean that you have to say yes to everything, but consider, am I available for the big moments in someone’s life? Whether it's their birthday, their parents visiting the graduation that they have, in what ways am I making myself available for other people to participate in my life? Am I thinking I’m going to do everything on my own, and not giving people the opportunity to come and enjoy, and celebrate with me or work together?&nbsp;The last is vision, to have a deep sense of community, I find that it’s really important to have set an intention or a vision of what it is that you’re inviting, and then to let that guide you in in your day to day activities.&nbsp;So life is unpredictable. We have no idea who or what will come into our lives. But if you have a vision of the kind of community or feeling that you want to create, of brotherhood, of friendship, of a bond of people helping each other, nurture that vision, meditate on that vision, pray for it, inviting it mentally. Then, allow that vision to inspire what you can do next, how you can reach out to people and who you might know what you might do next.

How to build a community

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SURAJ SEHGAL speaks with MAMATA SUBRAMANYAM about coming together and creating community with change and vision.</h4>Q: You're a Heartfulness trainer. Can you explain what that means?SS: A byproduct of what we do is <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/cultivating-leadership-values-part-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">serving humanity</a> and serving each other. One of the primary roles and responsibilities of a trainer, however, is to represent the living guide and to understand that he has a purpose in the work that he’s doing, and work on his behalf. There's often more to the work than we understand at our mundane and human level.Q: Why is having a living trainer essential for <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-science-behind-creating-a-daily-meditation-practice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meditation practice</a>, whether for new or seasoned practitioners?SS: I think mastery of any field always benefits from a teacher, whether it's a karate master or an art teacher; we learn by mimicking and by understanding those who have excelled in the field before us. As humans, we have a unique ability to read books and understand things from the past and then build on them. The entire scientific body is all about constantly iterating and reworking and retesting and discovering new things, building on what we've already learned so far.To me, the spiritual field is total. It dictates and influences every aspect of your being and life, making it even more important to have someone who can guide you and provide direction when needed. There's so much that I've learned. I think it's that quote of “Inspiration is caught, not taught,” right? And while the guides of Heartfulness have developed and codified a set of practices that, if followed, will deepen a person, spiritually speaking, there's still so much more that is learned by just observing the way that they talk, conduct themselves, the way they respond to a question, the way that they walk.So much of human life is about how we respond, where we place our attention, and how we respond to what’s around us. And I think in observing Daaji and the guides before him as well, sometimes consciously, I've picked up things about the way they place a glass on a table, or the way they notice something that seems like they had ignored. And they continued to think about the feelings of someone they had spoken to just a few hours before. Some of that I can consciously imbibe, but a lot of it is unconscious, the sitting, the way that we, on a mass scale, like during a large meditation gathering, unconsciously imbibe from that teaching done in silence together.Q: As you say this, I'm just reflecting on the trainers that I've watched. I see the uniqueness of how each trainer conducts themselves, whether it is their poise, the way they pause, or their awareness of others and their needs. I also know that, like any of us, they are human and consistently work on growing to be the type of person they want to be, based on the principles of Heartfulness.In the moments where you, as a trainer, feel like you struggle with that point of growth, how do you handle it? And what should we even be aspiring toward?SS: Most recently, I became a parent. It has had me reflecting a lot on what the role of a parent is in a child's life. In many ways, we're all emotional machines, right? We come into this world with a capacity for thinking, attention, and skill development. But a lot of that is dependent on where we place our attention. Much of where we direct our attention is dependent on the emotions that guide us.Why does a kid focus on one thing or the other? Somewhere, it is the expectations and the emotional reward or punishment, however slight, given by the structure in which they grow up. The ones around us shape us. It's a simple fact. Whether it's a schoolteacher with expectations or a school system that gets you to focus a lot on grades, you place a lot of emotions on these situations, and your achievements are motivated by that.I’ve had friends who were really into physical fitness, mainly because their family history in the military emphasized the importance of physical fitness and prowess. Even though they ended up pursuing their PhD, being fit was just a part of their being, right? The emotions from early on and throughout our lives make us emotional machines.The reason I bring that up is that we're each so different, and we all have our desires, thoughts, and aspirations. Thinking about the role of a parent, I cannot stop my kid from falling. I cannot protect them from the fact that they have fallen; life happens. Their heart will be broken. They will aspire for something and fail. I cannot save them from that. But often the role of the parent is to guide and direct a kid's attention, to say, “Oh, you failed. But look at what you can do next. You can also get back up.” Your role is almost to serve as an emotional guide on how to handle something, because we are emotional machines.Every time we face something for the first time, it is extremely emotional, right? When I was a graduate student instructor at UC Berkeley, I would sit one-on-one with so many students who were receiving a C for the first time in their lives. As someone who generally tries to be empathetic and meet people where they’re at, I would engage with these students and understand that “failing” feels like a lot. This feels like the end of the world for you. And the only thing I can tell you, as someone who’s lived ten more years, is that you will probably receive a few more Cs throughout college. This is your first semester, your first year, and it’s okay; you will get through it. This isn’t easy, but it’s something that you can learn from. It gave me a lot of insight into the role of a parent, which is that you've just been through a lot of things before. That's why grandparents can be so comforting; they've experienced a wide range of emotions and ups and downs.The role of a trainer is very similar; when I reflect on the way I’ve grown in the last ten years, it’s all been inward. Much of it revolves around emotions and conditions, encompassing the mastery of intense emotions. How do I deal with a day when I suddenly feel an intense craving to become one with the Divine, and it’s unbearable? Where do I go? Does anyone even understand what that feeling is? That’s where having a trainer is important; it’s not just somebody who has mastered it and knows exactly what to do next. It's somebody who’s maybe experienced that condition before you and can tell you, “Hey, you're not alone, and I see that you've fallen, I've also fallen.” It reminds us that having experienced a certain level of emotions and mastery in the past doesn’t necessarily mean we’re good. It only serves as a foundation for us to continue learning, trying, and remembering that, no matter what difficulties we face, a trainer is also there to give us support.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartfulness_trainer2_dfa91dff31.webp" alt="heartfulness-trainer2.webp">&nbsp;Q: Heartfulness is now millions strong, with over 16,000 trainers supporting the organization in 160 countries. We're growing rapidly, and it can be challenging to stay connected to one another. There are all these links, including trainers, that keep us all together. I often reflect on my responsibility as a trainer to build community wherever I am around meditation, not because I think my way is the best, but because I know that I simply want to connect with people, heart to heart. I imagine that it is a similar feeling for you.SS: One of the keystones of a good spiritual practice is the community. There is so much that we can learn from one another; in supporting each other, we also grow. I grew up in a world where both my parents were trainers, surrounded by weekly group meditations and people visiting our home for individual sessions. That translated to what I thought of as community; it felt super normal to host a housewarming, a Diwali party, or a holiday get-together and simply start with a meditation, followed by food. You mark it with a sacred silence in communion with the people around you. It is in silence that we share, not only our love with the Divine, but we share that divine love.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">One of the keystones of a good spiritual practice is the community. There is so much that we can learn from one another;&nbsp; in supporting each other, we also grow.</h4><hr>What made our marriage ceremony so special was that it was conducted by my spiritual guide, in silence, and surrounded by some of our closest family members. In those forty minutes, I felt like I shared and received so much more with these loved ones than you could have ever said or given in an envelope. To me, that's deep, unshakable, and it relies purely on your openness, your heart, and your intention.When it comes to building a community, what’s been truly transformative is coming from a place of: “What is the world that I want to live in? What do I want the world to look and feel like? What are the best parts of humanity that I've experienced, whether in the Heartfulness community, another meditation community, or just in general?” And then to be able to say, “Okay, based on my capacity and means, what can I emulate right now?” But even more than that, “What can I set an intention for, for what I want this area around me to look like?”I think it will soon extend beyond just whether people meditate or not, but to start with the folks who share this sacred silence with you. It goes much further, at least that’s what I felt. We begin with those around us and those we want to look out for. We do whatever is within our means and set an intention for what we aspire to. It will happen. We have the power of meditation and the support of our guide behind us.

The Role of a Heartfulness Trainer

Susan Sontag

Stay Eager

Suzi is a counselor, teacher and inspirational speaker in the field of human transformation, who is inspiring the way people in the West value motherhood. She has received a number of awards in recognition of her contribution to the field of psychology, and founded The Motherhood Evolution, “where thriving mothers raise thriving children”. Suzi is also a composer and pianist, collaborating with Marianne Williamson, Neale Donald Walsch, John Bradshaw and Paul Ferrini, as well as her husband singer-songwriter Jami Lula.

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Suzi Lula

<h3><img class="has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/ritual_gold_1_992f055845.jpg" /></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">IN CONVERSATION WITH
 SUZI LULA
</h3>
<h4>SUZI LULA is a counselor who values motherhood as a spiritual path. Her book, The Motherhood Evolution, is
 helping western women value the feminine principles through their role as mothers. In this interview with Emma
 Ivaturi, she opens up about her own experience of motherhood and how women can be role models for their children.</h4>
Q: It’s so nice to connect with you. Thanks
 so much for reaching out to Heartfulness Magazine and sharing your perspective with us.
SL: Thank you, I’m also excited. I
 am happy to get to know you. Your website is fabulous. It’s full of so much valuable information and is really
 inspiring. I loved it.
Q: Suzi, tell us about yourself.

SL: I am a huge fan of assisting
 moms to take care of themselves and to redefine what that even means. That’s my world, my neighborhood.
Q: I would love to hear what you’ve learnt
 by being a mother. 
SL: I think the biggest thing I’ve
 learnt is how to create a real intimate connection with my son. I think it is a connection that I have always wanted
 to have with my parents. So I feel proud about that.
Then to learn that motherhood was harder than I ever thought it would be. You know, I
 was on a spiritual path, a path of consciousness, well before I became a mother. I had meditated for a long time, so
 when I had my son I thought it would come easier to me than it did.

<hr>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">First I needed to learn how to identify what my needs
 were, 
 and then to provide for them, and 
 I think that’s what led me to the work I do 
 – to recognize that providing for my own needs was 
 not selfish and taking care of myself was not selfish.
</h5>

<hr>
I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that I also have needs as a mother,
 because it seemed so easy to look only at my son’s needs. First I needed to learn how to identify what my needs were,
 and then to provide for them, and I think that’s what led me to the work I do – to recognize that providing for my own
 needs was not selfish and taking care of myself was not selfish.
Q: Do you feel like your previous
 experience on a spiritual path set you up for success?
SL: I do, because I had the basic
 skills that I needed. I was an avid meditator, and those skills came in handy. But I think what tripped me up, and
 what trips many mothers up, were the cultural messages. Because I felt selfish if I took care of myself, it became an
 ‘either-or’ thing. Either I took care of my son or I took care of myself. So I kept putting my own needs on the
 backburner.
It was actually my son who said to me, “Mom, you really need to learn how to smile more.
 You are always so serious!” That hit me hard and I realized I needed to make some changes if I was to become the
 ‘connected’ mom I wanted to be with him.
Q: How do you feel your relationship with
 your son has helped you evolve as a person?
SL: Oh my gosh! Completely! To
 become the mom I wanted to be for him, and the mom he needed me to be, meant resolving the unresolved issues I had.
 And it stretched me to really redefine what taking care of myself meant, and to recognize that I was longing to feel
 nourished and nurtured as a person, so that I could show up for him the way I wanted to.
Q: How can mothers find time for themselves
 in this age of nuclear families and broken families? Can only those people who are well-off have that
 luxury?
SL: That is a great question. I
 think it is another cultural misunderstanding that self-care takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. So many of
 my clients are single moms, so their time is definitely of the essence. And we don’t have extended families living
 close by as much as we need to.
I think the biggest thing to recognize is that most of us aren’t taught to ask ourselves
 what truly lights us up in the first place. If we first take the time to connect with what lights us up, then finding
 the time for self-care only requires us to change our thought patterns. To recognize that I need to find that extra 20
 to 30 minutes requires a certain discipline. But when I take a 20-minute walk in the park near my house, my son feels
 it the instant I return home, because the ‘me’ that walks in the door is instantly recognizable to him.
What you are asking is so important. It does take a certain amount of time but the
 pay-off we get by putting ourselves on the map is exponentially expanded. I took such good care of myself while I was
 pregnant because I thought, “Well, I have this baby inside of me,” but then as soon as the baby was born I forgot
 about me!
Q: Have you seen motherhood evolve in the
 21st century? What has stayed the same or changed in the last 50 years and where are we headed?
SL: I believe that what has stayed
 the same is what I call ‘the guilt epidemic’, because as mothers we feel guilty if we take care of ourselves and we
 feel guilty if we don’t. So we are mired in this way of feeling guilty all the time. Mothers are the untapped
 spiritual powerhouses of the planet, but we are often exhausted and overwhelmed. If we could end this guilt, I think
 we would be giving the next generation of children the biggest service we could possibly give.
Imagine if each mom realized, “I am feeling guilty out of a cultural habit,” without
 that being connected with reality. And then imagine us as a group of mothers – I say mothers but it’s really women –
 all coming together and deciding that this guilt is absolutely unnecessary. It adds no value to our lives. Imagine the
 sheer amount of energy we would have available to us. It would be incredible. It would literally change the world; it
 would literally change the way we parent.

<hr>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">I think the biggest thing to recognize is that 
 most of us aren’t taught to ask ourselves 
 what truly lights us up in the first place. 
 If we first take the time to connect with 
 what lights us up, then finding the time for 
 self-care only requires us to change our thought patterns.
</h5>

<hr>
Q: Absolutely. That leads into the next
 question: what do you feel is the importance of the feminine principle in today’s world? And how integral to
 motherhood is that principle?
SL: I think as women we are waking
 up to the fact that the masculine paradigm is burning us out and it’s not advancing us. Women and mothers have the
 quality of nurturing and other feminine qualities. We need to be contributing our innate gifts.
You will find as a new mom – and it touches me to even think about this for you – that
 when we meet our children for the first time, whether it happens biologically or we adopt, whatever way a child comes
 into our lives, there is this spiritual medium that is unparalleled love. There’s something that happens in our hearts
 that is indescribable.
As mothers we have certain qualities, like “a mother’s intuition”. We didn’t come up
 with that phrase for nothing. A mother’s intuition is such a powerful feminine quality that often goes untapped. Our
 intuition, our hearts, and our ability to connect with others and create intimate relationships are such undervalued
 qualities. The qualities of the feminine can change the world, and they will certainly provide a model for our
 children of what is really important.
But then it’s not ‘either-or’, right? The masculine paradigm is equally important. It’s
 just that we will awaken in us the feminine qualities and bring the feminine into a masculine-dominated culture. We
 will enrich our culture, we will enhance our culture, and we will take our culture to the next level. And the same
 will happen while raising our children – we will include our feminine rather than leaving it out. In many households
 it’s left out altogether because we have such an emphasis on doing; the masculine is more important. Doing the laundry
 is more important, and taking our kids to ten different activities is more important than having a simple, yet
 profound, connection with them.

<img class="py-4 mw-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/lightsup2_f52d359518.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T12:27:17.350Z" />

Q: Can you describe more about what you see as the masculine
 paradigm?
SL: I think mothers are
 indoctrinated into a paradigm that tells them that taking their children to many activities after school, focusing on
 their grades, worrying about what preschools they go to and what colleges they go to are the things that really
 matter. It teaches our children to look for their sense of worth and value in their ‘doing’, their achievements,
 rather than their ‘being’ and the kind of person they are. It is externally oriented and very ‘doing’ oriented. We
 take it for granted that we need to get them into the right preschool, and when they are in elementary school they
 need to read early.
It’s not that we need to undervalue any of these things; sending children to school is
 important and finding the right school is important. I am not saying ‘either-or’. What I am saying is that when we
 become mothers, we get on the hamster wheel of activity, including making sure the house is clean and the dishes are
 done to the exclusion of our feminine qualities. Then what happens? We are out of balance. We become burnt out,
 overwhelmed and exhausted, and then we don’t have the bandwidth to have simple kindness, presence and patience with
 our children. We raise our voices and do things we swore we would never do.

<hr>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">And we have to make sure that we are not 
 giving importance to all of the ‘doing’ activities 
 to the exclusion of this gift of motherhood that we bring.
</h5>

<hr>
Being connected with our kids takes a lot of bandwidth. It means being patient. For
 example, can we expect a little three-year-old with no idea of time to understand that it’s important to be ready at 8
 in the morning? Can we expect an eight-yearold who doesn’t care about it to want to brush her teeth? How to have the
 bandwidth to be connected and have the patience to talk an eight-year-old through the process of brushing her teeth?

As mothers, we do have connectedness and patience within us; we have these feminine
 qualities. And we have to make sure that we are not giving importance to all of the ‘doing’ activities to the
 exclusion of this gift of motherhood that we bring. Does that make sense?
Q: Absolutely. It’s a beautiful
 clarification.
SL: I feel for moms. I work with
 moms all day long and I feel for us as a collective group, because we’re trying so hard. We’re trying to keep the
 house clean and be patient with our kids. Why I am so passionate about self-care is because I feel for moms. I work
 with many single moms and we’re all just trying to get through the day. I feel for us as a collective group because
 we’re trying to do such a good job, and it’s almost like we’re trying to do it single-handedly, having thrown away the
 feminine in favor of the masculine.
That’s why I want to empower mothers to nourish themselves, play music during the day,
 take time to write a journal, or whatever is their thing. This gift will benefit children more than you could possibly
 imagine. You know, for an 8-year-old who doesn’t want to brush her teeth, the gift of having a patient mother at the
 end of the day is priceless.
Q: How do you see young women blossoming so
 that they can contribute to this direction of humanity, and how can we better prepare them for motherhood?

SL:
 At the risk of sounding dramatic, I honestly think we could change the world and our world on that question.
 And it goes back to being role models for our children – both girls and boys. Just think about it: if a mom models to
 her daughter that it’s important to take care of herself, then her daughter grows up knowing what she needs and
 meeting her own needs. If she has the patience to give and serve her daughter, not from her emptiness but from her
 overflow, then her daughter learns to be kind with herself. If she is kind with herself and knows what her needs are,
 then she will not succumb to peer pressure. That young girl will feel empowered inside of her own being and have the
 courage to say, “No,” to the things she does not want. Think on it.
Where boys are concerned, I have a son and I want my son to see a mother who takes care
 of herself. If he has a partner one day, then he will be that generous man. He needs to see the feminine qualities in
 his life in order to value them. Then hopefully he will be that kind of man who offers women the dignity to value and
 care for themselves.
On a different note, I think that if children see their mothers looking after and
 respecting themselves it will end bullying, because a bully is someone who hasn’t learnt to value themselves and takes
 it out on others. When a child sees their parents taking care of themselves, they’re going to feel secure about their
 own needs, and this will create a different culture.
We hear the Dalai Lama say that kindness is religion, but we undervalue this simple
 kindness and its power. When we take the time to care for ourselves, we connect with the ability to have patience and
 kindness and compassion for others. When we care for ourselves, we will automatically care for the next person and
 this can spiral out to caring for our world, caring for humanity. I think the spiral is endless really.
Q: Beautiful. It reminds me of something my
 mom would always tell me: Give of your light but not of your oil.
SL: That’s a beautiful principle
 to live by. I think your mom would have been connected to her light. In these past 50 years, there have been many moms
 who have been working and being a mom. We need to make sure we are connected through our light so that we are not
 giving of our oil. That’s a beautiful saying; I have never heard it before.
Q: It’s something that a spiritual friend
 of hers shared with her. Is there anything more you want to add?
SL:
 Only that I really want motherhood to become more visible and more valued on the planet. Thank you so much.

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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interviewed by EMMA IVATURI</h4>

<hr>

What lights you up?

Swamiji is the founder of JK Yog, a bestselling author, and an expert of mind management and yogic sciences. He is the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, and an alumnus of IIT and IIM. Swamiji has dedicated his life to guiding millions worldwide on the path of happiness and fulfillment for more than four decades.

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Swami Mukundananda

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SWAMI MUKUNDANANDA shares his thoughts on the responsibility of each one of us to bring about change in the world, and the need to create a culture that is based on tolerance, inclusiveness, wisdom, and inner cultivation.</h4>&nbsp;All of us, as members of one human race inhabiting our planet Earth, have the combined responsibility of ensuring peace at the world level. Yet even though we realize this noble and cherished goal, it still remains elusive.In the last 5,000 years of recorded human history, at least 5,000 wars have been fought. The worst of these came to an end in 1945 when unitedly the world realized the need for world peace and established the United Nations. Yet, despite that, wars have continued.&nbsp;The world is not an indivisible entity; but it is constituted of individuals like you and me. World peace comes through peaceful pieces. When each piece is peaceful, it will ensure world peace.&nbsp;Is it possible to achieve a peace that is independent of externals—that will be retained despite adversities, that nobody can snatch away from us? It is possible, and it is what the ancient books of wisdom have taught us. They say peace has to be discovered inside, within your mind.This mind is bondage, and the cause of liberation. The mind is such a powerful thing: it can make heaven in hellish circumstances; and in the most celestial circumstances, you can experience the torments of hell. That is why this mind is the key to peace.There was once a businessman in Hyderabad who wanted to become detached, so he left his home and work to live in the Himalayas. He went to a monastery where he was given a hut, and there he started a spiritual practice. He&nbsp;had reached a reasonable level of proficiency when the monsoon came, and along with the rain came the sounds of nature—the frogs and the crickets were making merry. The man was disturbed while sitting in meditation, and when his tolerance was exhausted, he opened the window and screamed, “Silence!”Now, because his spiritual practice&nbsp;had reached such a level, Nature also listened when he spoke, and so the frogs and crickets became quiet. He went back to his meditation, but discovered that he was still not able to meditate. Another voice was disturbing him, and this time it was from inside him. The voice of his conscience was saying, “What I did, was it right?” No matter how much he tried, he was unable to silence it. So finally, he again opened the window and said, “Begin!” The frogs and the crickets all resumed making a racket. He went back to meditation and this time found perfect peace, the peace from within him.That peace is irrespective of externals, and that peace nobody can take away from us. So, the mind is such a powerful instrument. We need to purify it. The essence of spirituality is the purification of the mind. And how do you purify the mind? By attaching the mind to the all-pure, to the Supreme. When we were little children, we heard the phrase, “No God, no peace.” Where there is no God, there is no peace. And “Know God, know peace.” When you come to know God, you will come to know peace. So, when we attach our mind to the all-pure, we will achieve purity of mind. And that purity of mind will help us achieve true peace.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/crossroads_modernisation2_8cb26f570a.webp" alt="crossroads-modernisation2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_crossroads_modernisation2_8cb26f570a.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_crossroads_modernisation2_8cb26f570a.webp 322w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/crossroads_modernisation2_8cb26f570a.webp 322w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">When we attach our mind to&nbsp;the all-pure,&nbsp; we will achieve purity of mind.&nbsp; And that purity of mind will help us achieve true peace.</h4><hr>Today, India is at a juncture, the crossroads of modernization. We are the fifth largest economy, soon to become the third largest. We are destined to take our place on the world stage. And, as a world leader, we will soon become a thought leader of the world as well.India has a heritage of tolerance, inclusiveness, wisdom, and inner cultivation. Two and a half thousand years ago, Jagadguru Shankaracharya, asked the question, “Jagat jitam kena?”, meaning, who shall conquer the world? And the answer he gave was, “Mano hi yena,” meaning, the person who conquers their own mind. So, if we wish to achieve peace, we need to declare war. Not a war fought on the outside, but a war fought within ourselves—the war against the demons lying within ourselves.Excerpt from a talk given at the Global Spirituality Mahotsav 2024

The crossroads of modernization

Swami presently heads the Delhi center of the Ramakrishna Mission. He is deeply committed to the spreading of value education amongst school and college students and has been closely associated with the development of a number of insightful programs on value education, based on the ideas of Swami Vivekananda. He is passionately involved in interfaith dialogue leading to closer understanding between different faiths and is deeply committed to peace initiatives across the globe.

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Swami Shantatmananda

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<h3 style="text-align: center;">IN CONVERSATION WITH SWAMI SHANTATMANANDA</h3>
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">SWAMI SHANTATMANANDA, Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission, Delhi, shares the way his
 team is spreading Swami Vivekananda’s vision for the education of the children of India, and how the Ramakrishna
 Mission is realizing that vision.</h4>
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&nbsp;
Q: Welcome Swamiji. You are passionate about youth and you are
 passionate about education.
Swami: Yes.
Q: So can you tell us about the programs you are running and
 where they are headed? What is your vision?
Swami: For the Ramakrishna
 Mission, which has been in existence close to 120 years, there are two areas that have always been our specialties,
 namely education and medical service. Tens of millions of patients are treated in our medical facilities across the
 country. Similarly, several hundred thousand students are in our educational institutions. But in spite of our best
 efforts, even though we have a good number of residential institutions where students live in close proximity to our
 monks, it has been a long felt need that we should specifically address the issue of value education.
In India, a large number of institutions are doing value education, but in most cases it
 is done in terms of ‘dos and don’ts’. In the Ramakrishna Mission, we have completely moved away from this approach,
 and we have studied very deeply Swami Vivekananda’s ideas on education. In our attempt to design something
 specifically for school children, we took the help of a very beautiful institution called Illumine Knowledge
 Resources Private Ltd., with a huge team of qualified and committed people. So together we developed a program based
 on Swami Vivekananda’s ideas on education.
Close to 15 to 20 million students complete year 12 education in India every year, but
 not even 2 to 3 percent of these students get a chance to pursue higher education. And this leads to a lot of
 juvenile violence and other problems in the society. The reason is that once students complete year 12, they think
 they are educated and do not want to lower themselves to doing manual or physical jobs. Even an absolutely
 illiterate person who is a helper to a mason or a carpenter easily makes 30,000 rupees per month, but a so-called
 educated person can hardly earn 7,000 or 8,000 per month given the circumstances.
We found that the whole problem is in the wrong understanding of education. Swami
 Vivekananda has given a wonderful definition of education. He says, “Education is the manifestation of the
 perfection already in man.” This totally turns the current ideas of education in India on their head, where the flow
 of knowledge is from the outside to the inside, from the teacher to the student. In our program, consistently we
 have tried to prove that it is inside out.
It is what is within the student that has to be brought out. The teachers, the students,
 the system, the books, the labs, the parents, all only facilitate the bringing out of this inherent ability,
 strength, glory, etc. One proof that I can give is the following: say a teacher teaches chemistry to a class of 50
 students. If the flow is from the teacher to the student, at the end of the year, all students should fare exactly
 the same in the final examination. But there is such a huge variation in the results, which only proves that it is
 not so much from the external source. What really comes out is what is within the student, facilitated by the
 teacher, book, etc.
So all of us should work to bring about this transformation. This is the basic idea
 underlying our program. We are currently running this program in 2,500 schools across many of the cities and some
 rural areas in India, and it is spreading. It is composed of 16 modules for each year group – for classes 7, 8 and
 9, or 6, 7 and 8 – and we insist that the same teacher conducts the program for the same set of students for the
 three successive years. We give a 2-day training to the teachers for each class and we also provide a tool kit and
 teachers’ manuals. After the training we visit each class at least twice every year to see how the program is taking
 root, how the students are faring, how the teachers are able to deliver, and so on.
So far the results have been remarkable. Even physically challenged, speech impaired and
 partially blind students have shown tremendous enthusiasm and improvement after undergoing five to six modules. It
 is a stupendous initiative and there is no formal inclusion by the government in the system, so we are working hard
 to implement the program and at the same time find a slot in the curriculum. The program requires huge funding, and
 we are not charging the schools for this – we are raising funds through donations and corporate support. But it is a
 beautiful challenge.
We have instituted a Vivekananda Fellowship, so that youth who are really inspired to
 work for the people of our country can take up this fellowship after graduating or finishing a postgraduate degree.
 They can serve in this schools program for two years, during which time we give them very decent support. At the end
 of the 2-year fellowship they can decide to carry on with their studies or career. So that is how the program is
 managed.

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Q: What sort of transformation
 have you observed personally in the children who participate in the program?
Swami: For the first time,
 children are feeling a new kind of identity. Normally they are quickly divided in a classroom into categories –
 bright, not so bright, and dull – and that is one of the important reasons why students are not able to connect
 within the classroom. In India more than 50% of students are not able to connect. They are sent to school to pursue
 education, but they are not interested because they think they are not that good, and they will not get into higher
 education. So how will a student in year 6 or 7 who feels like this do well?
Education is not just mere academics. Students can do anything that will give them the
 dignity, the fulfillment, the sense of achievement of standing on their own feet. Let them pursue that. So through
 this program we have been able to give a new identity to the students, so much so that no student feels that he or
 she is less than anyone else. That is the great leveler. Then they can feel happy coming to school, they can
 participate, they can do many things, and we tell them, “You explore. Huge avenues are there for all of you to do
 well.”
Ultimately, the students should understand their own dignity. Their greatness, their
 well-being, their respect and their dignity do not just consist in getting a white-collar job, or working as a
 computer professional or a doctor. Even if you shine shoes, if you understand that within you is the same immortal
 spirit as the most successful computer programmer in India, would it not give you that extraordinary dignity? You
 would always walk with your head held high. You will never feel you are less than the other person. You are also
 fulfilling a very important need in our society, a function in society, so in what way are you any less than a
 person who owns a big house and an expensive car?
It all boils down to your individuality, your understanding of your personality, your
 understanding of what you are, how you are. That’s what will give you that great dignity. In India we have a huge
 number of youths, but only when they have the orientation that each of them is no less than the others will we see a
 new society. Then any number of new initiatives will spring up. We can make it extremely challenging and wonderful
 for them, leading to the development of our country as a great nation. That is what we hope for.

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<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Interviewed by ELIZABETH DENLEY</h5>


<hr>

Perfection is already within us

Vivekananda (1863-1902) was born as Narendranath Datta, and became the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahansa. He was an Indian monk, philosopher, author, teacher, and key person in introducing yoga and Vedanta to the Western world. Swamiji became a popular figure after the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he was so impactful that one newspaper described him as "an orator by divine right." Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math to provide spiritual training, and the Ramakrishna Mission to provide charity, social work, and education.

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Swami Vivekananda

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<h4>SWAMI VIVEKANANDA explains the scientific basis of Yoga and the importance of observation in the process.</h4>
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<img decoding="async" class="lazyload img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="http://cdn-prod.heartfulness.org/hfnmag/images/2016/dec/observation-blog.jpg">All our
 knowledge is based upon experience. What we call inferential knowledge, in which we go from the less to the more
 general, or from the general to the particular, has experience as its basis. In what are called the exact sciences,
 people easily find the truth, because it appeals to the particular experiences of every human being. The scientist
 does not tell you to believe in anything, but he has certain results which come from his own experiences, and
 reasoning on them when he asks us to believe in his conclusions, he appeals to some universal experience of humanity.

In every exact science there is a basis which is common to all humanity, so that we can
 at once see the truth or the fallacy of the conclusions drawn therefrom. Now, the question is: Has religion any such
 basis or not? I shall have to answer the question both in the affirmative and in the negative.
Religion, as it is generally taught all over the world, is said to be based upon faith
 and belief, and, in most cases, consists only of different sets of theories, and that is the reason why we find all
 religions quarrelling with one another. These theories, again, are based upon belief. One man says there is a great
 Being sitting above the clouds and governing the whole universe, and he asks me to believe that solely on the
 authority of his assertion. In the same way, I may have my own ideas, which I am asking others to believe, and if they
 ask a reason, I cannot give them any.
This is why religion and metaphysical philosophy have a bad name nowadays. Every
 educated man seems to say,“Oh, these religions are only bundles of theories without any standard to judge them by,
 each man preaching his own pet ideas.” Nevertheless, there is a basis of universal belief in religion, governing all
 the different theories and all the varying ideas of different sects in different countries. Going to their basis we
 find that they also are based upon universal experiences.


<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">We first observe facts, 
 then generalise, and 
 then draw conclusions 
 or principles.</h5>


<hr>
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Read the complete article in Issue 14
<h4><a style="color: #cc9a37;" href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/subscribe/"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SUBSCRIBE &amp; DOWNLOAD</a></h4>
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">From&nbsp;Raja Yoga&nbsp;by VIVEKANANDA</h4>
<hr>

Observation

<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/collectorsedition_img_92a76863f3.jpg"><hr>&nbsp;<h4>SWAMI VIVEKANANDA explains why it is necessary to have a teacher in the spiritual field, just as it is in most other areas of life.</h4><hr>Every soul is destined to be perfect, and every being, in the end, will attain the state of perfection. Whatever we are now is the result of our acts and thoughts in the past; and whatever we shall be in the future will be the result of what we think and do now. But this, the shaping of our own destinies, does not preclude our receiving help from outside; nay, in the vast majority of cases such help is absolutely necessary. When it comes, the higher powers and possibilities of the soul are quickened, spiritual life is awakened, growth is animated, and man becomes holy and perfect in the end.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">The Guru is the bright mask which God wears in order to come to us. As we look steadily on, gradually the mask falls off and God is revealed.</h5><hr>This quickening impulse cannot be derived from books. The soul can only receive impulses from another soul, and from nothing else. We may study books all our lives, we may become very intellectual, but in the end we find that we have not developed at all spiritually. It is not true that a high order of intellectual development always goes hand in hand with a proportionate development of the spiritual side in Man. In studying books we are sometimes deluded into thinking that thereby we are being spiritually helped; but if we analyze the effect of the study of books on ourselves, we shall find that at the utmost it is only our intellect that derives profit from such studies, and not our inner spirit. This inadequacy of books to quicken spiritual growth is the reason why, although almost every one of us can speak most wonderfully on spiritual matters, when it comes to action and the living of a truly spiritual life, we find ourselves so awfully deficient. To quicken the spirit, the impulse must come from another soul.<hr><h4>Read the complete article in Issue 14&nbsp;</h4><h4><a href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SUBSCRIBE &amp; DOWNLOAD</a></h4><hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">From Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda,&nbsp;Vol. 3, Chapter 4</h4><hr>

The need of Guru

<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/swami_vivekananda_27aa2b2170.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-03T07:47:11.288Z" alt="swami-vivekananda">There is a Persian poem that tells how a lover came to the door of his beloved, and knocked. She asked, “Who art thou?” and he replied “I am so and so, thy beloved!” and she answered only, “Go! I know none such!” But when she had asked for the fourth time, he said “I am thyself, O my beloved, therefore open thou to me!” and the door was opened.A great saint said, using the language of a girl, describing love. “Four eyes met. There were changes in two souls. And now I cannot tell whether he is a man, and I a woman, or he a woman and I a man. This only I remember, two souls were. Love came, and there was one.”In the highest love, union is only of the spirit. All love of another kind is quickly evanescent. Only the spiritual lasts, and this grows.Love sees the Ideal. This is the third angle of the triangle. God has been cause, Creator, Father. Love is the culmination. The mother regrets that her child is humpbacked, but when she has nursed him for a few days, she loves him and thinks him most beautiful. The lover sees Helen’s beauty in a brow of Egypt. We do not commonly realize what happens. The brow of Egypt is merely a suggestion: the man sees Helen. His ideal is thrown upon the suggestion and covers it, as the oyster makes sand into a pearl. God is this ideal, through which man may see all.Hence we come to love Love itself. This love cannot be expressed. No words can utter it. We are dumb about it.&nbsp;<hr>Believe first in yourself, then in God. A handful of strong men will move the world. We need a heart to feel; a brain to conceive; and a strong arm to do the work.&nbsp;<hr>The senses become very much heightened in love. Human love, we must remember, is mixed up with attributes. It is dependent, too, on the other’s attitude. Indian languages have words to describe this interdependence of love. The lowest love is selfish; it consists in the pleasure of being loved. We say in India, ‘one gives the cheek the other kisses.’ Above this is mutual love. But this also ceases mutually. True love is all giving. We don’t even want to see the other, or to do anything to express our feeling. It is enough to give. It is almost impossible to love a human being like this, but it is possible so to love God. …The three angles of the triangle are: Love begs not. Love knows no fear. Love is always of the ideal.“Who would be able to live one second, Who would be able to breathe one moment, If the Loving one had not filled this universe?”Most of us will find that we were born for service. We must leave the results to God. If failure comes, there need be no sorrow. The work was done only for God.In women, the mother-nature is much developed. They worship God as the child. They ask nothing, and will do anything. …Deepen your own power of thought and love. Bring your own lotus to blossom: the bees will come of themselves. Believe first in yourself, then in God. A handful of strong men will move the world. We need a heart to feel; a brain to conceive; and a strong arm to do the work. Buddha gave himself for the animals. Make yourself a fit agent to work. But it is God who works, not you. One man contains the whole universe. One particle of matter has all the energy of the Universe at its back. In a conflict between the heart and the brain follow your heart.Notes of a lecture delivered in London on November 16, 1895,&nbsp; from Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 8.<hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by SWAMI VIVEKANANDA</h4>&nbsp;<hr>

The religion of love

<hr><h4>SWAMI VIVEKANANDA explains the relationship between consciousness, superconsciousness and Samadhi.</h4><hr>Just as unconscious work is beneath consciousness, so there is another work which is above consciousness, and which also is not accompanied with the feeling of egoism. The feeling of egoism is only on the middle plane. When the mind is above or below that line, there is no feeling of ‘I’, and yet the mind works. When the mind goes beyond this line of selfconsciousness, it is called Samadhi or superconsciousness.How, for instance, do we know that a man in Samadhi has not gone below consciousness, has not degenerated instead of going higher? In both cases the works are unaccompanied with egoism. The answer is, by the effects, by the results of the work, we know that which is below, and that which is above. When a man goes into deep sleep, he enters a plane beneath consciousness. He works the body all the time, he breathes, he moves the body, perhaps, in his sleep, without any accompanying feeling of ego; he is unconscious, and when he returns from his sleep, he is the same man who went into it. The sum total of the knowledge which he had before he went into the sleep remains the same; it does not increase at all. No enlightenment comes. But when a man goes into Samadhi, if he goes into it a fool, he comes out a sage.What makes the difference? From one state a man comes out the very same man that he went in, and from another state the man comes out enlightened, a sage, a prophet, a saint, his whole character changed, his life changed, illumined. These are the two effects. Now the effects being different, the causes must be different. As this illumination with which a man comes back from Samadhi is much higher than can be got from unconsciousness, or much higher than can be got by reasoning in a conscious state, it must, therefore, be superconsciousness, and Samadhi is called the superconscious state.&nbsp;<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">When the mind goes beyond this line of self-consciousness, it is called Samadhi or superconsciousness.</h5>&nbsp;<hr><hr>This, in short, is the idea of Samadhi. What is its application? The application is here. The field of reason, or of the conscious workings of the mind, is narrow and limited. There is a little circle within which human reason must move. It cannot go beyond. Every attempt to go beyond is impossible, yet it is beyond this circle of reason that there lies all that humanity holds most dear.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/samadhi2_f886006c57.jpg">All these questions, whether there is an immortal soul, whether there is a God, whether there is any supreme intelligence guiding this universe or not, are beyond the field of reason.Reason can never answer these questions. What does reason say? It says, “I am agnostic; I do not know either yea or nay.” Yet these questions are so important to us. Without a proper answer to them, human life will be purposeless. All our ethical theories, all our moral attitudes, all that is good and great in human nature, have been molded upon answers that have come from beyond the circle. It is very important, therefore, that we should have answers to these questions. If life is only a short play, if the universe is only a “fortuitous combination of atoms,” then why should I do good to another? Why should there be mercy, justice, or fellow-feeling? The best thing for this world would be to make hay while the sun shines, each man for himself. If there is no hope, why should I love my brother, and not cut his throat? If there is nothing beyond, if there is no freedom, but only rigorous dead laws, I should only try to make myself happy here. You will find people saying nowadays that they have utilitarian grounds as the basis of morality. What is this basis? Procuring the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number. Why should I do this? Why should I not produce the greatest unhappiness to the greatest number, if that serves my purpose?How will utilitarians answer this question? How do you know what is right, or what is wrong? I am impelled by my desire for happiness, and I fulfil it, and it is in my nature; I know nothing beyond. I have these desires, and must fulfil them; why should you complain? Whence come all these truths about human life, about morality, about the immortal soul, about God, about love and sympathy, about being good, and, above all, about being unselfish?All ethics, all human action and all human thought, hang upon this one idea of unselfishness. The whole idea of human life can be put into that one word, unselfishness. Why should we be unselfish? Where is the necessity, the force, the power, of my being unselfish? You call yourself a rational man, a utilitarian, but if you do not show me a reason for utility, I say you are irrational. Show me the reason why I should not be selfish. To ask one to be unselfish may be good as poetry, but poetry is not reason. Show me a reason. Why shall I be unselfish, and why be good? Because Mr and Mrs soand- so say so does not weigh with me. Where is the utility of my being unselfish? My utility is to be selfish if utility means the greatest amount of happiness. What is the answer? The utilitarian can never give it.The answer is that this world is only one drop in an infinite ocean, one link in an infinite chain. Where did those that preached unselfishness, and taught it to the human race, get this idea? We know it is not instinctive; the animals, which have instinct, do not know it. Neither is it reason; reason does not know anything about these ideas. Whence then did they come?We find, in studying history, one fact held in common by all the great teachers of religion the world ever had. They all claim to have got their truths from beyond, only many of them did not know where they got them from. For instance, one would say that an angel came down in the form of a human being, with wings, and said to him, “Hear, O man, this is the message.” Another says that a Deva, a bright being, appeared to him. A third says he dreamed that his ancestor came and told him certain things. He did not know anything beyond that. But this is common that all claim that this knowledge has come to them from beyond, not through their reasoning power. What does the science of Yoga teach? It teaches that they were right in claiming that all this knowledge came to them from beyond reasoning, but that it came from within themselves.&nbsp;<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">All ethics, all human action and all human thought, hang upon this one idea of unselfishness. The whole idea of human life can be put into that one word, unselfishness.</h5>&nbsp;<hr><hr>The Yogi teaches that the mind itself has a higher state of existence, beyond reason, a superconscious state, and when the mind gets to that higher state, then this knowledge, beyond reasoning, comes to man. Metaphysical and transcendental knowledge comes to that man. This state of going beyond reason, transcending ordinary human nature, may sometimes come by chance to a man who does not understand its science; he, as it were, stumbles upon it. When he stumbles upon it, he generally interprets it as coming from outside. So this explains why an inspiration, or transcendental knowledge, may be the same in different countries, but in one country it will seem to come through an angel, and in another through a Deva, and in a third through God. What does it mean? It means that the mind brought the knowledge by its own nature, and that the finding of the knowledge was interpreted according to the belief and education of the person through whom it came. The real fact is that these various men, as it were, stumbled upon this superconscious state.<hr>Excerpt from Chapter 7 of Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda.<hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by SWAMI VIVEKANANDA</h4>&nbsp;<hr>

Samadhi and superconsciouness

Witness

<h4>Enjoy these profound truths about simplicity from SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, DAAJI, OSHO and BABUJI.&nbsp;</h4>The greatest truths are the simplest things in the world, simple as your own existence.The greatness of a teacher consists in the simplicity of his language.Oh, to live even for a day in the full light of freedom, to breathe the free air of simplicity! Is not that the highest purity?—Swami Vivekananda<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/simplicity2_b06e3a3ccc.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:55:22.361Z">Sitting for that first meditation session was the most amazing experience I had ever had in my life – it was so profound and proved to me that this system was right for me. I thought, “If a trainer of the system can transmit like this, imagine what the Guide can do!”His name was Ram Chandra and he came from Shahjahanpur – and now I was longing to meet him. But I had to wait. I could only visit him during my college vacation almost a year later in 1977. When I reached Shahjahanpur, I found him to be a loving, simple, genuine, down-to-earth person. His utter simplicity amazed me. Just looking at him made me wonder how there could be such purity in a person, such simplicity. His whole being radiated love. And I could feel the Transmission flowing through him all the time. There was never a dull moment, even when he was silent, which he was most of the time. There was always inner communion, and I was busy inside feeling his presence. That was the beginning of my journey with my Guide.—Daaji<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/simplicity3_8fa70ee14a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:55:56.408Z">If you are simple you will be able to observe yourself. A complex man cannot observe himself because he is so divided. He has so many things around him: so many desires, so many thoughts, and so many problems arising out of these desires and thoughts. He is continuously in a crowd. It is difficult to attain to self study. Only an austere man eats, sleeps, loves, and that is all. He has ample time and ample energy left to observe, just to be, just to sit and look. And he is so happy. … Things are so simple that he can do them easily. And simple things have a quality that even while doing them you can study yourself. Complex things are too much for the mind. It gets too involved and fragmentary, and self study becomes impossible. … You never have enough energy. And without energy there is no possibility of being aware. At the point of low energy, low level energy, you cannot be aware; overflowing energy is needed. An austere man has so much energy left – what to do with this energy? … You are sitting silently; the energy moves to the subtlest layers – it goes higher and higher, it goes on accumulating, it becomes a pinnacle, a pillar of energy. You can study yourself now. Even the subtlest nuances of your thoughts, emotions, feelings, you can watch.—Osho<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/simplicity4_d717ea4018.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:56:26.650Z">Simplicity is the very essence of Nature. It is the reflection of that which existed in the Absolute in a latent state. It promotes growth. It can be aptly described as the quintessence of the Ultimate. This is in fact the life-substance of Nature.—Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur

The free air of simplicity

Reforming character

<h4>SWAMI VIVEKANANDA explores the nature of the soul and freedom, and shares his vision on how to bring about that freedom through meditation.</h4><hr>&nbsp;I am going to present to you my idea of practical religion. We hear all around us about practical religion, and analyzing all that we find that it can be brought down to one concept – charity to our fellow beings. Is that all of religion?What is the goal of life? Is this world the goal of life? Nothing more? Are we to be just what we are, nothing more? Is man to be a machine which runs smoothly without a hitch anywhere? Are all the sufferings he experiences today all he can have, and doesn’t he want anything more?The highest dream of many religions is the world… The vast majority of people are dreaming of the time when there will be no more disease, sickness, poverty, or misery of any kind. They will have a good time all around. Practical religion, therefore, simply means, “Clean the streets! Make it nice!” We see how all enjoy it.Is enjoyment the goal of life? Were it so, it would be a tremendous mistake to become a man at all. What man can enjoy a meal with more gusto than a dog or cat? Go to a menagerie and see the wild animals tearing the flesh from the bone. Go back and become a bird! … What a mistake then to become a man! Vain have been my years – hundreds of years – of struggle only to become the man of sense-enjoyments. …What is the goal of it all? Can senses ever be the goal? Can enjoyment of pleasure ever be the goal? Can this life ever be the goal of the soul? … If that is the fate of man, that he is going to be only the perfected machine, it would just mean that we go back to being trees and stones and things like that. Did you ever hear a cow tell a lie or see a tree steal? They are perfect machines. They do not make mistakes. They live in a world where everything is finished…<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">What are we here for? We are here for freedom, for knowledge. We want to know in order to make ourselves free. That is our life: one universal cry for freedom.</h4><hr>What is the ideal of religion, then, if this cannot be practical religion? And it certainly cannot be. What are we here for? We are here for freedom, for knowledge. We want to know in order to make ourselves free. That is our life: one universal cry for freedom.What is the reason the plant grows from the seed, overturning the ground and raising itself up to the skies? What is the offering for the earth from the sun? What is your life? The same struggle for freedom. Nature is trying all around to suppress us, and the soul wants to express itself. The struggle with nature is going on. Many things will be crushed and broken in this struggle for freedom. That is your real misery. Large masses of dust and dirt must be raised on the battlefield. Nature says, “I will conquer.” The soul says, “I must be the conqueror.” Nature says, “Wait! I will give you a little enjoyment to keep you quiet.” The soul enjoys a little, becomes deluded a moment, but the next moment it cries for freedom again. Have you marked the eternal cry going on through the ages in every breast? We are deceived by poverty. We become wealthy and are deceived with wealth. We are ignorant. We read and learn and are deceived with knowledge. No man is ever satisfied. That is the cause of misery, but it is also the cause of all blessing. That is the sure sign. How can you be satisfied with this world? … If tomorrow this world becomes heaven, we will say, “Take this away. Give us something else.”The infinite human soul can never be satisfied but by the Infinite itself… Infinite desire can only be satisfied by infinite knowledge – nothing short of that. Worlds will come and go. What of that? The soul lives and forever expands. Worlds must come into the soul. Worlds must disappear in the soul like drops in the ocean. And this world to become the goal of the soul! If we have common sense, we cannot be satisfied, though this has been the theme of the poets in all the ages, always telling us to be satisfied. And nobody has been satisfied yet! Millions of prophets have told us, “Be satisfied with your lot”; poets sing. We have told ourselves to be quiet and satisfied, yet we are not. It is the design of the Eternal that there is nothing in this world to satisfy my soul, nothing in the heavens above, and nothing beneath. Before the desire of my soul, the stars and the worlds, upper and lower, the whole universe, is but a hateful disease, nothing but that. That is the meaning. Everything is an evil unless that is the meaning. Every desire is evil unless that is the meaning, unless you understand its true importance, its goal. All nature is crying through all the atoms for one thing – its perfect freedom.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">All nature is crying through all the atoms for one thing – its perfect freedom.</h4><hr>What is practical religion, then? To get to that state – freedom, the attainment of freedom. And this world, if it helps us on to that goal, is all right; if not, if it begins to bind one more layer on the thousands already there, it becomes an evil. Possessions, learning, beauty, everything else – as long as they help us to that goal, they are of practical value. When they have ceased helping us on to that goal of freedom, they are a positive danger. What is practical religion, then? Utilize the things of this world and the next just for one goal – the attainment of freedom. Every enjoyment, every ounce of pleasure is to be bought by the expenditure of the infinite heart and mind combined.… You may pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the gods there are, but unless you realize the soul there is no freedom. Not talking, theorising, argumentation, but realization. That I call practical religion.This truth about the soul is first to be heard. If you have heard it, think about it. Once you have done that, meditate upon it. No more vain arguments! Satisfy yourself once that you are the infinite spirit. If that is true, it must be nonsense that you are the body. You are the Self, and that must be realized. Spirit must see itself as spirit. Now the spirit is seeing itself as body. That must stop. The moment you begin to realize that, you are released…<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/universal_cry2_3aef9aa09d.jpg">The spirit must be realized, and that is practical religion. … The Kingdom of Heaven is within us. He is there. He is the soul of all souls. See Him in your own soul. That is practical religion. That is freedom. Let us ask each other how much we are advanced in that: how much we are worshippers of the body, or real believers in God, the spirit; how much we believe ourselves to be spirit. That is selfless. That is freedom. That is real worship. Realize yourself. That is all there is to do. Know yourself as you are – infinite spirit. That is practical religion. Everything else is impractical, for everything else will vanish. That alone will never vanish. It Is eternal. Hospitals will tumble down. Railroad givers will all die. This earth will be blown to pieces, suns wiped out. The soul endureth forever…Therefore to realize the spirit as spirit is practical religion. Everything else is good so far as it leads to this one grand idea. That realization is to be attained by renunciation, by meditation – renunciation of all the senses, cutting the knots, the chains that bind us down to matter… What is meditation? Meditation is the power that enables us to resist all this…How is it to be attained? In a dozen different ways. Each temperament has its own way. But this is the general principle: get hold of the mind. The mind is like a lake, and every stone that drops into it raises waves. These waves do not let us see what we are. The full moon is reflected in the water of the lake, but the surface is so disturbed that we do not see the reflection clearly. Let it be calm. Do not let nature raise the wave. Keep quiet, and then after a little while she will give you up. Then we know what we are. God is there already, but the mind is so agitated, always running after the senses. You close the senses and yet you whirl and whirl about. Just this moment I think I am all right and I will meditate upon God, and then my mind goes to London in one minute. And if I pull it away from there, it goes to New York to think about the things I have done there in the past. These waves are to be stopped by the power of meditation…In the long run this power of meditation separates us from the body, and then the soul knows itself as it is – the unborn, the deathless, and birthless being. No more is there any misery, no more births upon this earth, no more evolution. The soul knows itself as having ever been perfect and free.<hr>Excerpts from the talk, ‘The Practice of Religion’, Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 4, Vedanta Society, USA<hr>&nbsp;

One universal cry for freedom

Swati is from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and currently resides and practices dermatology in San Diego, CA.  She grew up in an environment that fostered spirituality and encouraged meditation.  Spirituality still remains a fundamental aspect of her life, as she navigates her career and family life. 

swati-kannan.jpg

Swati Kannan

<h4>It is just the tip of the iceberg! And yet DR. SWATI KANNAN shares with us enough about the current research on the power of belief to ask ourselves, “How am I shaping my biology with my thoughts?”</h4><hr>The word “belief” is defined in the dictionary as ‘confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptive to rigorous proof.’ But if we examine the origin of the word, we find something far more interesting. This word can be broken down into two separate terms: “be” and “lief.” “To be” simply means to exist or to live. The word “lief” originates from an Indo-European word “leubh” meaning “love.” The combined word “belief” now takes on a whole new meaning, which is simply “to be in love.” Belief used to define faith in God or “to be in love” with God. And we cannot&nbsp; love without using the heart.Beliefs do not necessarily&nbsp;represent&nbsp;what&nbsp;is&nbsp;true or factual. Our beliefs are based on perceptions of reality, which are shaped by our experiences and culture. The power of each belief or thought stems from within the individual believer. In this sense, whatever you&nbsp; believe&nbsp;in&nbsp;your&nbsp;heart&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;true&nbsp; is a reality in your life. As a result, you then attract events, experiences and people in your life to match your “loves” or “beliefs.” This is demonstrated in my parents’ relationship, where my mom always says that what attracted her to my father was their shared belief in meditation, God and spirituality.Coming from a background of engineering and medicine, I was taught to question every belief, even the proven theories in medicine. So, how can I believe in the ideas of a soul and of God&nbsp; that&nbsp; have&nbsp; never been scientifically proven? Well, it&nbsp; is simple. It is my conviction that they exist, thus making them real and alive. It is not sufficient to just think the thought with the mind, however, as it must be felt in the heart for positive effect. This is the concept behind prayer, meditation and positive thinking: a simple thought that is felt by the heart. A true belief or prayer resonates both in the heart and mind.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Whatever you believe in your heart to be true is a reality in your life. As a result, you then attract events, experiences and people in your life to match your “loves” or “beliefs.”</h4><hr>Imagine how the world would be positively changed if we all prayed for the well-being of each other? This concept was actually studied on a small scale by medical researchers in San Francisco, California. Forty patients with advanced AIDS were allocated randomly into two groups: one group that received prayers from strangers and another control group that received no prayers. The subjects allocated to the distant prayer group benefited from a reduction in AIDS-defined illnesses and illness severity, and a decrease in the number of hospital visits. Even though this is considered a small study in the world of medicine, its scope is still very <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/brigid-goddess-of-the-gaels" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">powerful</a>, for it suggests that heart-felt prayers can alter the course of a serious disease. Perhaps prayers and peaceful vigils conducted in masses can alter an entire country’s consciousness.This study is just one of more&nbsp;than&nbsp;6,000&nbsp;articles that have been published regarding the relationship between prayer or faith and health. Scientists&nbsp; have also been researching the biological changes caused by certain perceptions or beliefs. One such scientist, Dr Bruce Lipton, has discussed the effects of positive and negative thoughts on the genomic code. Simply stated, his concept is based on the simple paradigm of the laws of attraction: like attracts like. If ideas in the mind send certain vibrations, and everything in the universe, including the brain, the heart and the human genome, emanate a certain vibration, then changes can occur if vibrations match.Taking that paradigm one step farther, if beliefs are simply ideas that are loved by our heart, then the vibrations for such beloved thoughts should be even more potent in their effect. The difference between a thought and a belief is not only love but also certainty. A thought implies that something is possible and could happen. A belief surpasses that possibility and makes it certain it will happen. It is then the marriage of feelings, emotions and ideas that will make a mountain move upon request.Think of the implication: since every type of idea emits certain vibrations, thoughts should be pure and positive in nature. To many of us, the phrase ‘positive thinking’ sounds nonsensical, as how can sheer optimism make a poor, uneducated, jobless man rich? It is true that an outlandish thought, “I will be rich, I will be rich,” without any attempt to find a job, might not work. But what if that jobless man started thinking, “I will find a great job that utilizes my level of education and will help support my financial needs”? Even positive thoughts must be reasonable and, of course, genuine.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Positive thinking, transformed into positive beliefs, can be powerful in shaping our life, mind, heart and character.</h4><hr>Optimistic thoughts become optimistic beliefs, leading to an optimistic attitude even during dire circumstance in life. This then triggers a chain reaction: the man finds a job, and he is well liked for his optimistic attitude and hard work. He believes he will succeed, and so he attracts supportive people in his life as a result of his positive attitude, affording him more opportunities for success.In the past twenty years, positive thinking has been acknowledged by mainstream psychology, and is called ‘positive psychology’. It focuses on enriching the lives of ordinary human beings. It complements traditional psychology, as the emphasis is placed on personal growth and happiness instead of the negative aspect of mental illness and phobias. It is a scientific approach to the integration of positive thinking into our attitudes and beliefs, thus attracting positive outcomes. It also supports the paradigm of the laws of attraction and heartfelt beliefs. It is not enough to just think the thought; we must feel it, believe it, love it, live it and even transcend it.Positive thinking, transformed into positive beliefs, can be powerful in shaping our life, mind, heart and character. Scientists are now studying this concept in many fields – genetics, medicine, psychology, biology and quantum mechanics. A mere two-page article cannot even begin to summarize these efforts and the myriad of research publications that investigate the above-mentioned,&nbsp; yet intangible concepts. How do you measure the power of belief or positive thinking? But sure enough, we are finding ways to study it, measure it and then integrate it into our lives.This is just the tip of the iceberg.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The power of belief and positive thinking

<h4>SWATI KANNAN explores the nature of simplicity and how we can cultivate it in our lives. As Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”</h4><hr>The irony of our current time is that we live in a complex world, replete with computers, phones and machines, which are all supposed to simplify our lives. But our lives are not simpler because of them. For example, 20 years ago when I traveled, I carried a book, headphones and a small music player. Now I carry my iPhone, a small iPad with an assortment of e-books, a MacBook, and two sets of headphones – both cord and Bluetooth. I truly believe I need all these items to travel. Of course, this just reflects an inability to simplify my life, despite technology’s attempt to do so.As humans, we gravitate towards complexity. The sunset sky with multiple colors appears more stunning than a simpler, monochromatic blue sky. A laptop with multiple features seems more attractive than a mere typewriter. We hear that beauty is found in simplicity, but what does it mean to be simple? Simplicity is not the opposite of complexity. Many things in nature are complex. The human machinery is complex in design, yet all the parts are necessary for its function. So when we describe the opposite of simplicity, we mean anything that is unnecessary or additional, created by human desire.Simplicity can characterize a personality – a person’s desires and behaviors, thoughts and mindset. A simple-minded person is not a simpleton; in fact, he performs tasks using only the necessary parts, and not one part more. I believe that simplicity characterizes an inner mental condition, wherein an individual engages in external activities without being attached and uses technology without needing any of it. As Gandhi stated so eloquently, “You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them.”<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Purity of heart, mental simplicity and inner sensitivity can become the ultimate tools on our journey.</h4><hr>Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Buddha represent the quintessential personas of simplicity. They dressed simply, spoke simply, ate simply and lived simply. Living selflessly, they devoted their services to help others. When Gandhi passed away, he possessed fewer than ten objects, and he did not own a house. Gandhi grew up in a prosperous family but did not miss the material trappings, as he was a man of non-possession. Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha, also shunned the material trappings of a king to pursue a simple and spiritual life. But we do not need to live such a minimalist life to be simple. We also do not need to be unambitious in a worldly sense to be simple. For example, Gandhi himself studied law in England and was an educated man, and Siddharta Gautama was a prince and quite protected within the confines of the palace and its comforts.Fundamentally, simplicity indicates a mental state, which is then projected onto the material aspects of life.<hr><h4>Read the complete article in <a href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/category/volume2/volume2issue4/">Volume 2, Issue 4</a> <a href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SUBSCRIBE &amp; DOWNLOAD</a></h4><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">&nbsp;</h4>&nbsp;

The power of simplicity

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SWATI KANNAN explores some of the benefits of meditation, including how it can change our personalities and behaviours, provided we are willing to become self-aware.</h4>&nbsp;Often I wonder if meditation can change people’s personalities and behaviors. Does the fundamental act of meditation make us better human beings? After much deliberation, I would like to respond, “Yes.” Meditation can advance us as individuals, but not without self-observation and a will to change.Observation is a skill we innately possess and intuitively use. For example, infants and children learn behaviors and develop personalities by observing their parents. Even important breakthroughs in science arise from the simple power of observation of nature, events and people around us. Novels about Sherlock Holmes rest on his acute ability to notice the details around him in deducing certain conclusions, and Isaac Newton is said to have surmised the concept of gravity by witnessing an apple fall from a tree. Of course, many people saw apples fall to the ground but only Newton discovered gravity. This means that simply looking is not enough – we need to observe.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Like any other skill, the art of observation or introspection can be polished and used to improve our behaviors, emotional reactions and responses to unplanned events in life.</h4><hr>By examining the world around us with curiosity, we develop an understanding of our environment. But these are external observations. What of internal or self-observation? In psychology, self-observation is termed ‘introspection’, and introspection is defined as “The examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings.”1 The process of introspection in psychology involves reflecting on one’s own mental state, but in the spiritual context it also refers to examination of one’s own spirit or soul.Like any other skill, the art of observation or introspection can be polished and used to improve our behaviors, emotional reactions and responses to unplanned events in life.These ideas give rise to an important question: How do we refine our ability to introspect both mentally and spiritually? Meditation? Most of the current research on the effects of meditation focuses on Mindfulness. The practice of mindful meditation has become mainstream now in many parts of the globe, and it has been studied in psychology to assess its effects on both physical and mental health.When searching for how to practice Mindfulness, we find that most websites have the following protocol&nbsp; in common:Sit down quietly, with eyes closed.Focus on the breath, and accept all sensations filtering through, without judgment. The goal is to achieve awareness of the present experience.Instead of becoming overwhelmed by thoughts, feelings and body sensations, the person is better able to manage them, with practice.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Meditation allows space for observation of self without judgment.</h4><hr>Physiologically, practitioners of <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/back-to-basics-a-practical-reset" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mindfulness meditation</a> show similar changes in the brain after just a few weeks of meditation:The gray matter in the brain’s frontal cortex, which processes attention, focus and sensory processing, enlarges, thus increasing the skills necessary for observation, andThe pre-frontal cortex, which is associated with positive emotion, also demonstrates higher activity levels in meditators.2 The brain surprisingly becomes more active during meditation, which has been linked to improved emotional regulation, especially in people who have meditated consistently for five years or more.Psychologically, Mindfulness meditation provides:• Insight into emotions, • Boosts concentration, and • Can help with relationships.Mindfulness meditation has been integrated with other stress reduction techniques and with cognitive behavioral therapy to help with anxiety and recurring depression, respectively.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Through the art of meditation, our awareness of our surroundings and of our own internal situation increases.</h4><hr>If such contemplation leads to changes in the brain that increase attentiveness and result in mental well-being, how does that translate into improved introspection?’Through the art of meditation, our awareness of our surroundings and of our own internal situation increases. Mingyur Ripoche, a young Tibetan monk and co-author of the bestseller, The Joy of Living, describes awareness as “the mind that knows”3. Awareness is already a characteristic of the mind. Mindfulness and awareness complement each other. And if you can train the mind with meditation, awareness is naturally improved.Meditation allows space for observation of self without judgment. “It’s the act of paying attention… that gradually slows the rushing river [of thoughts and emotions] that would allow me to experience a bit of space between what I was looking at and the simple awareness of looking.”3 Most of us lose awareness or control during an angry outburst. After the outburst is over and we have had time to deliberate, we may apologize for our reaction. We may promise not to react so negatively again, however, if the mind could be self-aware during outraged behavior, the stormy response could be changed to a calmer reaction in that instant. If responses to situations can be altered, these actions can then lead to personality changes.Since Mindfulness helps with awareness of our mental state, it requires no stretch of the imagination to understand that Heartfulness makes us aware of our feelings and our divine state. A divine state is characterized by inner beauty, strength and wisdom.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Since Mindfulness helps with awareness of our mental state, it requires no stretch of the imagination to understand that Heartfulness makes us aware of our feelings and our divine state. A divine state is characterized by inner beauty, strength and wisdom.</h4><hr>The practice of Heartfulness is not new, and has been taught in various ways in India, China and other Eastern countries. It emphasizes feeling divine love in the heart instead of just contemplating it. It goes beyond the thoughts and feelings of the mind. This technique increases perception of the higher Self, also known as the spirit or soul. By introspecting on our inner condition after meditation, we become aware of our spiritual progress, and subsequently transform our hearts to openly accept divine grace.Observation is possible of the external world, the mind and the inner Self. They are all interconnected but, as stated before, simply looking is not enough.Simply meditating is not enough. In order to change our thoughts, our emotional reactions and our personality, we must meditate and introspect with curiosity about our true divine nature. Becoming aware of the higher Self can change our thoughts, our emotional reactions and our personality. And through self-observation, if we learn that we are all spiritually equal, the world will be divinely impacted.&nbsp;1 Self-reflection. //www.memidex.com/self-reflection2 Holzel BK, et al. Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psych Res. 2011 Jan 30:191(1): 36-433 Mingyur Rinpoche &amp; Swanson, Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom, 2009&nbsp;&nbsp;

The power of observation

Swedish Proverb

Shared Joy

Sybil is a doodler, a dancer, and a former college mathematics professor. She is the author of seven books including Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God (2007) and Praying in Color: Kid’s Edition (2009). Praying in Color is a visual, kinesthetic, and meditative prayer practice, especially useful for the antsy, distracted, and word-weary pray-er. Sybil combines her lifelong love of prayer with her experience in the math classroom to offer workshops and retreats throughout the USA and Canada. Visit her website and blog at <a href="https://prayingincolor.com/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prayingincolor.com/</a>.

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Sybil MacBeth

<h3 style="text-align:center;">AN ART ESSAY</h3><h4>SYBIL MACBETH can’t remember a time she didn’t pray, but she also can’t remember a time she prayed ‘well’. The practice of ‘Praying in Color’ was born when her desperation to pray for her family and friends intersected with her love of color and doodling. As a self-professed non-artist, she marvels at God’s sense of whimsy and humor in giving her a way to pray through her drawing.</h4>My first doodle began in the kitchen. A friend invited me to her house for dinner. After the meal, she said, “Now we are going to draw.” “Draw? Oh no! I can’t,” I whined. My mother and grandmother were skilled artists. I can’t draw a dog, a cat, a tree, a house, or anything else. Shame is the main emotion I felt whenever I picked up a crayon or colored pencil. My friend Cindy insisted, teasing me with a handful of beautiful colored markers and a black pen: “Go into my kitchen drawer, choose an interesting object, and trace around it with the pen. When you finish tracing, keep going.” An odd spiral utensil in the drawer caught my attention. When I finished tracing around it I kept going, letting the pen make new shapes and marks. I even added color to the doodle.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/prayer_in_color3_min_df7eda6b93.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:33:46.868Z">My friend set me free that evening. I went home, bought a dozen colored markers and a few black pens, and began my avocation as a doodler.First Doodle:<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/prayer_in_color2_min_1ad944df1c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:34:43.409Z">The artist Paul Klee said, “Drawing is taking a line for a walk.” Doodling is the line taking me for a walk. It is the surrender of my hand, my eyes, and my brain as an unexpected, abstract design emerges onto the page. Although the design comes from my hand, the pen and ink seem to have minds of their own. Lines, arcs, shapes, squiggles, and dots meander around the page. Their interplay creates nooks and crannies for color.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/prayer_in_color4_min_78e76d1557.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:38:04.286Z">For decades now, doodling has been a playful form of relaxation for me. About sixteen years ago it also became a way to pray and meditate. When a dozen friends and family members were diagnosed with an array of life-threatening cancers, I lost my words. My prayers for them were puny, inadequate one-liners: “Please, God, let Sue live to see her children graduate from high school.” “Keep Peter free from pain.” “Holy One, heal Chuck.” I am a lover of words, but when I needed them for prayer they failed me.One day I was doodling on my back porch and, without conscious thought, I wrote the name Sue in the center of the doodle. Sue was my sister-in-law with stage four lung cancer. As I continued to draw, add color, and focus on her name, I realized I was praying for her. Each stroke of color, each line, and each dot was a wordless prayer, offering and releasing her into God’s care. After I finished praying for Sue, I doodled prayers for Peter, Chuck, and my other friends with cancer. I drew in silence, calm and certain of God’s love. When I had filled the page with names and doodles, I not only had spent time with God and my friends, I had a visual prayer list. Every time I looked at it, it prompted me to pray for my friends – with or without words.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/prayer_in_color5_min_018c6339cc.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:39:01.405Z">I called my new prayer practice ‘praying in color’. What started as an intercessory prayer form gradually expanded to a way to gather my thanksgivings, my sorrows, my confessions, and my hopes. It also helped me to be still and meditate. Although my hand moves on the page and my eyes are open, the rest of my body settles into a quiet place. With no agenda but the need for silence, meditation, and listening, I write a name for God in the middle of the page: God, Beloved, Creator, Sustainer, Holy One … With lines and only two or three shapes, a circular rosette or mandala develops. Sometimes I write words in the spaces and add color. As the design grows, I move deeper into inner stillness.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/prayer_in_color6_min_1a1be35246.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:40:21.108Z">I doodle to both play and pray. In English those words differ by only one letter, the l and the r. In any language they have some similarities. Both play and pray are about letting down our guard, surrendering to the moment, and becoming vulnerable and childlike. I am grateful for that first kitchen doodle and the playful, prayerful journey it began for me.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/prayer_in_color7_min_7e7f59a5ad.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T14:41:19.615Z"><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article and doodles by SYBIL MACBETH</h4><hr>

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