Karma Clearing program

I am trying to follow nine day Karma Clearing program from today as today is new moon day. There are nine rules to follow every day

1. No expression of dissatisfaction
2. No criticism
3. Observe actions and thoughts
4. Arise earlier
5. One major meal a day
6. Do something that you dislike
7. help some one without leaving a trace
8. meditate once at least before sunset.
9. recall the day in reverse at bed time (starting from bed time and traversing through to dawn)

Will log the progress everyday in my excel tracker and put it in the site after the program completion.

உளன் எனில் உளன்; இலன் எனில் இலன்!!!

சுஜாதாவின் 'கடவுள்' என்ற புத்தகம் எனது சமீபத்திய கண்டெடுப்பு. சென்ற வாரம் லேண்ட்மார்க் சென்றபோது தற்செயலாக கிடைத்தது. மூன்று புத்தகங்கள் இரண்டின் விலையில் என்ற திட்டத்தில் கிடைத்தது. ஆச்சரியமான பல தகவல்களோடு, நடுநிலையாக பல்வேறு மதங்களைப்பற்றியும், கடவுள் நம்பிக்கை, மறுபிறப்பு மற்றும் எதிர்காலம் அறியும் திறன் குறித்தும் ஆராயும் நூல். சுவாரஸ்யத்திற்குப் பஞ்சமில்லை.

ஆனால், பிரம்மசூத்திரத்திற்கு உரை எழுதிய சுஜாதா, கடவுள் இல்லை என்பது போன்ற தொனியில் நூலை முடித்திருக்கிறார். அது தான் கொஞ்சம் நெருடுகிறது.அவருக்குள் இருக்கும் பொறியாளர், அறிவியலாளரின் பங்கு அதிகம் போலும்!!!

'ஆணிலன் பெண்ணிலன் அலியுமிலன்' என்ற நம்மாழ்வாரின் வார்த்தைகளால் பிரம்மத்தை, இறையை, விவரிக்கிறார் ஆனால் கடவுள் என்று ஒன்று / ஒருவர் பிரபஞ்சத்தை இயக்கத்தேவையில்லை என்கிறார். எதை கொள்வது? ஏற்கனவே குழம்பிய குட்டை இது. இதில் அறிவியல் அறிந்தவர், ஆழ்வார்களைப்பற்றி எளிய அறிமுகம் தந்தவர், பிரம்மசூத்திரத்தை விளக்க முற்பட்டவர் குழப்பினால் என்னவாகும்? இன்னும் அதிகம் குழம்பியது!!!

கடைசியில் என் பழைய முடிவிலேயே தொடர்கிறேன் - உளன் எனில் உளன்; இலன் எனில் இலன்!!! அறிவியல் வந்து விளக்கும் வரை அல்லது இறை தன்னைகாட்டும் வரை உளன் எனில் உளன்; இலன் எனில் இலன்!!!

Go Giver

Last week I read an interesting book called "The Go Giver". The ideas given are very simple and powerful. I think all the powerful ideas are always simple to understand.

1. The Law of Value - Give more than what you get
2. The Law of compensation - Compensation is directly proportional to no of people served and how well they are served 
3. The Law of influence - build your network by connecting with people, by genuinely caring for them.
4. The law of authenticity - the only thing you can offer is you.
5. The Law of receptivity - be ready to accept gifts. only if you accept, you can give.

I think, I have known them before I read them. It is just that I did not write about them. I have talked about these concepts to many of my friends at various points in time. One exception is point no 2.

I have always wanted to increase my compensation (BTW, compensation is just not the monetary part! it also includes the satisfaction, appreciation etc) and focused on 'how well you serve' part of the law. But this never occured to me that the first part plays an equally important role though the second part facilitates the first. I am seriously thinking how can I increase the number of people I serve? I am a process consultant and coach. I am good at teaching concepts to people. How do I serve more people?!?!? Let me figure out!!!

A lesson from a cricketer

Yesterday, I was a bit upset that someone accused me for no mistake of mine... it was not a mistake at all on anyone's part leave alone my mistake. I was hurt, irritatied and angry. I had an important task to complete in next one hour; I could not afford to spend that one hour in calming down the boiling mind... I took about 15 mins to settle down; relaxed; and then took on the job and completed it fairly decently as if nothing happened.

Today I was watching India Vs England cricket match. India was batting; I think it was the last over; the situation was pretty tensed. The bowler was very agressive; he bowled a few dot balls and the scene became all the more tensed. In the last over, he bowled a very difficult ball that Dhoni had to meet. It touched Dhoni's body and fell near his foot; he started running; the bowler came to pick the ball up; and the two dashed unintentionally; but the bowler started shouting at Dhoni as if he was at mistake. Raina got irritated and he was about to join the fight. Dhoni pulled him back and calmed him down to an extent. The irritated Raina tried hitting a six as a revenge probably and got caught... But, but, Doni hit a six and a few more runs and made his half century too... Big lesson....

I read somewhere that every ball is bowled at you to get you out; it is up to you to make it a sixer or boundary or singles or get out... I want to add to that. Though you are not at fault, people can try picking a fight; whether they want you to get out or not is a secondary question; they may even pour out their frustration on you though you are not the cause for their frustration; but, if you want to succeed, you need to follow Dhoni... do not lose temper even for a moment.... though you know that you are not to be blamed... leave the other person's emotions to themselves... you do not have to resolve their problems unless it is for you to resolve; you do not have to prove that you are not at fault... the truth will prove itself... you need to focus on your job... life is too costly to be lost picking up unworthy fights....

I know it is tough to follow... but, the tough follow this rule and succeed...

Are you a vegetarian?..... Continued

Some time back I wrote an article on the same topic. When I wrote that article, I was ignorant at a level looks like :-). When someone asked me if I am a vegetarian, I was thinking that this person was commenting on my food habits.

But then, if I say that I am a non-vegetarian they used to ask me if my parents were also non-vegetarians; if I say that I am a vegetarian they used to ask me if my parents were also vegetarians and I do not take non-vegetarian food from childhood. I was getting irritated with these questions. Why should anyone be bothered about my parents’ food habits? In first place, they cannot ask me about my own food habits; but people around me go one step beyond and try to find out what my parents eat!!!

Aha!!! It suddenly struck me!!! They are trying to assess which caste I belong to by understanding the food habits. Wow!!!

Has this thing called caste helped me reach where I am today? NO. My community has had a chief minister… quite a number of judges, police officials, doctors, engineers, and teachers belong to this community… it has more than 60% of retail business of Tamilnadu… So what? Did it help me a bit? Big NO. It is my parents’ hard work, simple life and focus gave me a protected childhood; not the caste they belonged to.

Have I helped my caste in any way? Bigger NO. Have I contributed to the welfare of this community? Have I lived a big successful life that helped this community benefit in anyway? Have I simplified life for any of my men and women? No, not at all…. Then how does it matter?

All I know is, my blood group is B+ve, I have a body that resembles that of humans and the chromosome study done a few years back declares that I have 46 healthy chromosomes like any other human being. So I believe, I am a human in all scientific grounds. (mentally, I may not be as matured as Mother Nature expects human beings to be though :-) )

Throughout the world, people try to find reasons to exclude fellow human being – be it race, nationality, religion, color of the skin, language they speak, amount of wealth, literacy and intellectual level… that is the reason behind so many wars and bloodshed. Lets try to include people!!! Love people for what they are and not for which category they belong to!!!

Today is my birthday

I am seriously wondering if any celebrations are really needed to remember this day!!!

Yes, today is my birthday.... Does it have any significance? Have I done anything great? Have I touched lives of others in good way? If so, how many such lives? Why so many people wish me today? is it because I touched their lives and made a difference to them in someway or because they are returning my wishes; they want to feel good on their birthdays and hence they are depositing the wishes with me with a hope that I would return them on theirs?

To me, how different is this day? does it denote anything important? is it a reminder that one year has just gone by doing nothing. I woke up like any other day, took bath, ate, slept and worked like any other day. May be, if my parents were next to me it might have made a difference... we might have had chakkarai pongal and gone to a temple. Of course, i ate chakkarai pongal and went to a temple on a few other days too. So that is not the key differentiator!!! So what is it?

What is the real meaning of a birthday? We celebrate great guru's birthdays as festivals like Christmas, Krishna Jayanthi, Vinayaga Chadurthi etc. We celebrate great leaders birthday also like Gandhi Jayanthi, Children's day, Statistics Day etc. But, where am I in the list? Why should my birthday be celebrated?

Will I ever enjoy anything I used to enjoy before? I am not sure... May be, this is called mid life crisis - when you realise that your belief system has some flaws and you are not sure of the right system to believe in, you feel stuck; nothing makes sense; world seems to be bright and gloomy at the same time; almost nothing motivates you; every success, however big it is, seems to be only like a dose of alcohol, giving a high for a moment and making you feel even more void inside...

I have never been like this... even when there did not seem any light at the end of the tunnel... I see this kind of loneliness in many women around me. From whatever they have achieved, produced or managed, I am sure, they were enthusiastic and energetic. They still radiate with energy most of the times. But they share a deep sense of loneliness with their close friends. Why????