Arosa Go-ssip! (Rest and Action - Part 2)

The Second Golden Principle is "I am nothing".

Just for a few seconds, if we can drop our indentity and self-image then we will be able to meditate. Often, our own judgment of ourself does not let us be. We judge ourselves as intelligent or stupid, rich or poor, useful or useless, and so on. Personally, I feel judging ourself or others is a complete waste of time. It does nothing for us. In fact it robs us of our innocence. But if you must judge, then just for a few moments, when it is time to rest, let go of those judgments. Become empty. Have faith that everything is ok!

The Third Golden Principle is "I do nothing".

Sheer efortlessness! Like charging a mobile phone - just plug it in and let it be. Similarly, when we re-charge our Self, we just plug into the infinite conciousness and be!

Practice these 3 golden principles tonight and share your experience with us! (don't just read the Bhagwat Gita - experience it!)

Jai Gurudev!

Arosa Go-ssip! (Rest and Action - Part 1)

Someone asked Guruji a question on dispassion to which He said something really beautiful. I dont remember His exact words but the essence of what He said was this...

He said that dispassion is misunderstood by most people.
In life we swing between rest and action.
When we rest, we must rest with an attitude that "Everything is ok". This is where dispassion is needed. This dispassion makes our rest deeper so that when we are awake, we are so alert that we can actually see every small mistake and correct it.

In the Bhagwat Gita, Krishna explains to Arjuna the 3 golden principles (or attitudes) that one must follow to go deep into meditation.

The first one is, "I want nothing" - dropping all desires just for a few moments and becoming empty. For example, when we are chasing a target at work or in college, so often our mind is consumed with the desire to achieve the target. This does not let us be 100% either in the action or in rest. The very thought of the target starts eating into our efficiency and effectiveness which in turn weakens our capability in achieving the target itself! It becomes very obvious that the mind needs to rest but the worry and stress does not allow it to rest. So instead of wasting our time and energy, a good idea would be to accept the situation as it is and rest with the attitude and faith that "Everything is ok"!

to be contd...

In the meanwhile enjoy this video :)

Love & Jai Gurudev!

Live from Arosa!

Hi everyone!! I finally found an internet connection here :)

We are in Arosa, Switzerland!!! (a beautiful country with a population of less than 700,000 people) It’s just us and Guruji here… literally!! Arosa is a ski resort kind of place 1800 metres above sea and since summer has just begun here there’s nobody around! All the shops, restaurants & hotels are closed except for two hotels which we have been allowed to use by special permission. So the volunteers here are practically running both hotels and doing a fantabulous job.

We are put up at Hotel Robinson, a quiet cozy place tucked away among snow capped mountains and a lake and a river! Here’s the view from our Hotel.

Guruji has been talking on Chapters 6 & 7 of the Bhagwat Gita – we have been really lucky to have some really amazing knowledge sessions and fabulous meditations with Him. Today, He took us to Cape Horn – the highest spot in Arosa. We took a Gondola (like a cable car) 2700 meters above sea. Enjoy the pictures!!

And some videos…. :)

Somebody asked Guruji, “Guruji aap sab se pehle Arosa kab aye the?”
Guruji said, “Jab ye pahaad banaa tha tab.”

More on Arosa coming soon…. stay tuned :)
Jai Gurudev!

CHASING TARGETS: R u the aeroplane or the rocket?

Here's a little something on chasing targets that I learnt in the last month and want to share with you all....

Step 1: Set a target that sets your backside on fire!! (your target must be realistic yet uncomfortable)

This reminds me of a joke - An aeroplane once asked a rocket, "How is it that you can fly so fast?"The Rocket replies, "Well, when you have a whole lot of fire up your ass, you'll know!" :) :)

Very often the reason we don't achieve our targets is because we don't set them right. Bawa once told us, "set a target that gives you a gulp down your throat" It is pointless chasing a target that you know you can achieve especially when you have a Guru in your life! So the one thought that u must definately keep away while setting targets and chasing them is "your comfort". We find comfort in many things around us - one of our major comfort factors is the team that we are working with. The secret behind chasing a target lies in forgetting that you have a team! You're only "team" is U and Guruji :) Of course, you work and the latter delivers. BUT FOR THE LATTER TO DELIVER YOU HAVE TO WORK!!! When you work, you will see things work for you. We often set targets and forget to work! :)

Step 2: Chase your target with SINCERITY and FUN!! Be sincere & creative. Do things differently. Have fun! (make sure the others know how much fun you're having)

Step 3: Sustain the momentum.

This is where you look around at people (aeroplanes) who have gotten interested in what you're doing and turn them into rockets!!! The key to sustaining momentum is to not lose your power to a situation or person around you. You should ALWAYS be more powerful than the situation. Work from an empowered state of mind. There will be times when your teamates fall short or something doesn't work as per plan ... when this happens, there's a good chance you will or have already slackened. Pull up your socks and work. Retain the power. Remember, it's only U and the Master. Live the knowledge 100%. Read knowledge sheets. Do your sadhana & satsang.

Step 4: 99% IS NOT = 100% - go all the way and this universe will be yours :)

Often we forget to be clear on when and where our target completes. Remember to do this exercise at step no.1 and keep at it until you have delivered a 100%. Believe me, the 1% that you miss out will prick you like a 1000 pins!

Step 5: Surrender!!

It's a good idea to protect yourself from any misconceptions that you may have harnessed along the way by surrendering all your actions and the results (however unconnected they may seem) to Guruji and knowing that it is only His will that has manifested! 100% action from your side ensures 100% surrender and sets you free!! :) :)

Jai Gurudev!

love

Pooja

p.s. feel free to share your thoughts / questions by posting comments...

Titbits from Mom..

Mom said something brilliant the other day which I thought I should share with u guys...

It was a wednesday morning and I decided not to go to work so I could sit at home and work on the 27 Oct course (send ppl pls!). I was quite light on work and my senior was out of town so it wouldn't really affect anything or anyone if I had stayed home. Then suddenly while having breakfast I remembered that I had called for a team meeting in office at 5:30 pm and that bunking it would not be appropriate. So I told mom I would go to work post lunch. The morning went by quite swiftly and after having a sumptious lunch, I started lazing around on the sofa. Then mom came into the drawing room and said "Aren't you going to office?" I looked at her very lazily and said, "No, I think I'll just chill at home." She looked straight at me and said, "Pooja, where's your integrity?" I was taken aback. Suddenly all the sleep was gone from my eyes and I sat up straight. I looked right back at her and said, "What do you mean, where's my integrity??!!" I was clearly offended. Where did integrity come into the picture here?? She repeated, "Yea, where's your integrity?" Her statement really puzzled me. I honestly couldn't understand the connection between not going to work and my integrity!! So I asked her, "What do you mean by integrity?" I knew it was a tough question to answer! If most people were asked to define the work 'integrity', they would say "it means being just and honest". That was my perception of the word too! But the answer mom gave me hit me straight in the heart. She said, "It means being honest to yourself even when no one is looking!" Inside my head went "WOW!!!" it was as if the universe had just revealed one of its greatest secrets to me. Suddenly, all the years that I had spent in ignorance of this knowledge came flashing to me and I felt a pinch inside me. I looked at her helplessly and said, "I didn't know this... what are you doing telling me this now?? You're supposed to tell me this when I'm 10 years old!!!" She said, "I thought you knew!" :)

Well...better late than never!

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali and may we all spend the New Year living in integrity!!

Enjoy your weekend :) Jai Gurudev!

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

Another end to another celebration. Truly, every celebration completes!

This year’s Ganesh celebration was more of a breather which brought back some love in my life amidst difficult times. It made me want to be happy like a child again. I remember when I was much younger, I used to live in a joint family and we would have Ganpati home every year. Then we would laugh and sing and dance and celebrate for 10 days and after He was gone, we would really miss Him so much. So a couple of months later, we would do a replay of the festival where one of us (cousins) would become Lord Ganesha and the others would invite people over from the building for darshan. As curious visitors stood before the idol pretending to pray, a ‘modak’ would magically manifest itself in the idol’s hand and that would be the talk of the evening! Of course, on the few occasions that the ‘idol’ couldn’t sit still and needed to scratch, the darshan line would suddenly be stopped under the pretext of a really important secret puja that was being done. Elaborate 'prasad' and yummy 'panchamrut' was served after a rather amusing darshan was over! :)

So this year too we had two Lord Ganeshas…..

The second one chickened out when we took it for visarjan and chose to join the immersion team instead! :)

Being with Yashvi reminds me of how we were all so innocent and happy that nothing really mattered. And now that I am older and walking this path with His Holiness, it feels like I am on a journey back to innocence but one that comes along with strength and maturity. The journey seems really long and I don’t know what awaits me but I am holding on real tight and I know it will complete.

In the meanwhile, here’s to many more celebrations!!

Jai Gurudev!

p.s. This year mom lost her marbles!… she thought she’d give Ganu a sponge bath (yeah, I don’t know what she was thinking!) and then realized it was not such a smart thing to do when the paint on his left cheek started smudging!! Hahaha… moms!!! :)

DO SOMETHING NEW!!

I am sure you must have had a fabulous weekend!

Mine started on Friday night when I was JUST beginning to make a list of some interesting things to do the next day and it suddenly struck me that we (ALMT – the law firm I work with) were working on Saturday :( The thought of going to court in the summer heat made my face shrink and features crumple like a child who had just been told to do his homework! Then I decided to make this fun! A brilliant idea struck me … the 5th day of the YES!+ course where we’re asked to do something NEW… I decided I would do something new this Saturday!! And I did!! :) :)

I wore my pink sneakers to Court!!! :)

(photography in the High Court if prohibited so I had to capture the moments here!!)

For those who haven’t been to a court, let me tell you that it is the most boring place on earth!! Everybody is dressed in black and white with bands stuffed upto their chin and sweaty black robes to make things worse! Tensed clients, stressed out lawyers and uptight judges make up the framework of the Indian judiciary. Can you imagine what my pink sneakers must have done to these dull faces?? For sure, I got noticed a lot more (which I would like to imagine as a good thing), my colleagues were wonder-stuck at how I had had the courage to be so “happy” in my profession, some even thought I had injured my foot and was wearing such “obnoxious” footwear for medical reasons!

Well, the truth is that they did look quite obnoxious amidst a formal setting of black trousers, a white shirt and the lawyer’s gown. But I found myself unusually happy and strangely tickled by what I had done! I had a super Saturday that was filled with interesting comments, reactions and ideas :) :) I was reminded of the pure genius that the YES!+ Course is… and that it doesn’t take much to realize it – just your 100%!!

This experience has left me feeling grateful for the freedom that the Art of Living and Guruji have given me. I am quite a fashion conscious person and I would have never dreamt of doing something so crazy had it not been for the Art of Living! It also made me reflect on why Guruji made me a teacher. I think it is so that I become a better student of the knowledge that I am spreading. Truly a collection of WOW moments that will go a long way down memory lane!!

Thanks Bau for being the brain behind the idea and the wallet behind the shoes! :)

So EVERYBODY do something new today!! Then come back and share it!
Let’s exchange craziness!!! :) :)

Jai Gurudev! ;)