Enlightenment.................!

“The desire for enlightenment is the greatest barrier in attaining it"

It is one of the eternal questions for the seekers of truth. On the one hand the masters go on saying, "Attain enlightenment," and on the other hand they go on saying, "Don't desire it." And it has been a great puzzle for the poor disciple. The master is saying both things: desire it, and don't desire it. Desire it because it is the only thing desirable; don't desire it because desire becomes a barrier.

Not to create that puzzle for us, my way of working has been different. Just being with us, talking or not talking, just giving whole heart to ourself and creating a situation in which we can taste something of enlightenment... even that small taste of enlightenment will be enough for us to stop here and now in this moment. We will forget all desires, enlightenment included.

Mind is Obstacle...... IS IT ????

To attain to enlightenment that is a must -- that we should lose all hope and desire for it. Otherwise the desire for enlightenment becomes a nightmare in itself. And the more we desire it, the further away we are from it -- greater the desire, greater will be the distance. Drop all desiring for it, all hoping for it. If we have really become desire less about enlightenment, any moment it is possible to happen. Give space; don't be filled with the desire for it.

The greatest barrier to enlightenment is the longing for it, because a mind that longs and desires is always tense. It has a subtle anxiety around it; it is never at ease. How can we be at ease if we have to go somewhere, reach somewhere? We may be sitting, but we are on the move. Visibly we may be resting, but invisibly we are restless. Nobody has ever been able to attain enlightenment through desire.

I am not saying that when we become desire less we will attain to nirvana or enlightenment; I am saying when we are desire less we are nirvana, we are enlightenment. The desire is the disturbance in us, just like ripples in a lake... ripples disappear, the lake is silent.

It is easy to drop the desires of the worldly things, very easy. In fact it is absolutely foolish to cling to them. Only stupid people cling to worldly things, because anybody can see that they are going to be taken away from us. All clinging is futile, fruitless, and anybody who has even a small quantity of intelligence can become alert that accumulating things is not going to give we enrichment; rather, it will make us more and more poor. The more things we will have, the more we will feel that we are empty.

A rich man becomes, deep down, very poor. We cannot find greater beggars than emperors. Knowing well that they have everything that they could desire, for the first time they become alert that nothing has changed inside: no contentment has happened, no satiety. Everything is as much in turmoil as ever; the whole effort has been useless, and the whole life wasted in it.

No, it is not difficult to drop worldly desires, but when we drop worldly desires, immediately, the mind creates the other-worldly desires: moksha, nirvana, enlightenment, God. Now we hanker for these. The situation remains the same -- we remain in desire. The object is irrelevant: the real thing: whether we desire or not. The real thing is not what we desire. All our spiritual -- so-called spiritual -- teachers misguide us because they go on saying, "Change the object of desire. Don't desire worldly things; desire God."

God cannot be desired. We cannot make God an object of our desire; that is sacrilege. Enlightenment cannot be desired, because enlightenment happens only when there is no desire. And enlightenment is not something that comes from the outside. When the mind is freed from desire, suddenly, we become aware of the king of kings sitting inside. He has always been there. But we were so much worried about desiring and reaching and gaining and achieving.

The achieving mind is the barrier, so it is good that we have given up all hope for enlightenment. But I don't think that we have given up all hope -- otherwise it would have happened. We may be right, however: practically, we have given up all hope for enlightenment. But deep down we are still dreaming about it, desiring it. Practically, we may have given up, but deep down the desire must be there. Otherwise there is no question -- why the enlightenment has not happened. It should happen immediately -- there is not a moment's gap. It is absolutely certain: when desire has left us completely. Utterly, it is there. In fact it is nothing -- we without desire. So search deep, dig a little deeper inside ourself; we will again find desires, layers of desires: and go on throwing them. Peel down our onion to the very core.

One day it is going to happen. Any day it is possible. Any moment when there is no desire, not even a flicker of it -- no trembling, no wavering -- and consciousness is unclouded -- no smoke of desire. Only the flame of consciousness, the fire of consciousness.... And suddenly we start laughing, suddenly we understand that which we were seeking was always within us. That is the meaning of Jesus when he goes on insisting, "The kingdom of God is within we." If it were "without" it could be desired; if it were "without" it could be reached from some path. It is us!

That's why I say I have got no path to offer you. I can only share my understanding with YOU.

When silence becomes the Medium of Profundity

Seers in the subcontinent have laid great emphasis on the concept of mauna as an ideal trigger for introspection and reflection.

Derived from the word muni that refers to an ascetic who practises silence, mauna ideally symbo-lises a state of oneness with the Self.

Sankara described this state as one of the three essential attributes of a sannyasi, along with balya or being child-like and panditya or wisdom.

Mauna is a state that's beyond speech and thought, said Ramana Maharshi. It is when you live "without the ego-sense".

He eventually made silence his medium of instruction .The ancients set aside an entire month in winter for such spiritual discipline to culminate with a day devoted to complete silence, the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight of Magha known as Mauni Amavasya.

Meditation undertaken on this day is believed to be extremely meritorious, especially at the confluence of the three rivers at Prayag or Allahabad. Sadhaks assemble at Prayag to practise rigorous month-long austerities known as kalpa-vas, which ends with the observance of Mauni Amavasya.

Mauni Amavasya is also a day, especially during the Kumbh mela, when a holy dip in the Ganga is considered auspicious and rewarding.

Yoga literature describes the three rivers — Ganga, Yamuna and (mythical) Saraswati — in metaphorical terms as the Sushmna, Ida and Pingala Nadis within the body which have to be brought into equipoise to enter the state of mauna or samadhi.

The quest for Oneness has attracted many a seeker on the path of contemplation through the practice of silence. Silence was the defining characteristic of both Mahavira and Buddha's search for meaning.

The transforming voice of silence led Ramana Maharshi to regard mauna as the best and highest form of diksha or initiation.

Tamil saint Thayumanavar followed the discipline of mauna till it became his natural state of being.

He described it as "that state which spontaneously manifests after the annihilation of the ego".

Mauni Amavasya is a day of spiritual sadhana, a prod of the ancients to goad us into the practice of mauna, of getting us into the habit of calming the restless mind.

Someone talks of the seven steps towards golden silence, of how to let go of fears, anxieties and jealousies, of the need to overcome the fear of silence itself which we all have, by beginning with "just sitting and being quiet".

Apart from its festive and religious import, Mauni Amavasya is a call of the inner Self, of the need for initiating an inner 'dialogue' with oneself, of the need to start the spiritual journey .

Vedantic seers have defined the state of freedom from mind — mauna is the key to that spiritual dimension, which enables one to be a witness to the mind.

Mauni Amavasya is an ideal time to control the Vikshepa or distractions of the mind and focus attention within.


So, "Be Still and Know Thyself".

Giving........

Last week’s Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company. Being a fan of Apple’s innovative products for some time, I read the article with pride. The article was very interesting and talked a great deal about Steve Jobs and his struggles to get where he is today. However, there was one thing I learned from the article that disappointed me, and that was the fact that Apple is one of the least philanthropic companies in the world. On the other hand, Bill Gates’ company Microsoft may have been 16th on this list, but they are considered one of the most philanthropic companies globally. This article facilitated some personal thought to my own quest in giving enough back to the community, and what the importance of charity is in our Sikhi.

Wand kay shako is one of the three main concepts of Sikhi, which encourages Sikhs to share their earnings with those less fortunate than ourselves. Guru ka Langar is a way in which we distribute this concept in the Gurdwaras. Dasvandh is donating a tenth of our earnings. It’s interesting that there are many religions that uphold the concept that “a tenth” of your income should be donated to charity in some form. Although I know that other religions are strict in making sure this donation is made on an annual level, I am not sure whether we are as philanthropic? How much are you as families donating to the cause of Wand kay Shako? We are lucky to be a part of a religion that is so progressive and way ahead of the times. There is even more we can do to be more involved in the concept of “giving back”, because there are a growing number of organizations that are allowing us to contribute our “dasvandh” for a great cause shows we truly are a generation of change and a generation of humanity!

Our elders have contributed to causes such as building new Gurdwaras, but personally I have a problem with the extensive buildings of Gurdwaras in one area. We should want to create unity for our community, and instead we are dividing ourselves more and more in this country. Contributing to a new Gurdwara would be a great cause, if we can contribute our views and make inclusions such as a senior centres, classrooms for children, and extensions which will allow our community to become more holistic.

Be True......

This Path we're either walking or stalking,

is Sharpand Thin as a Hair.

We need to be very aware as it asks us

to make strong decisions consciously

with our highest capacityconstantly.

The wrong ones yield serious consequences

that stay with us and then require energy

to beworked out.

Laughter is the only Safe Zone I have ever found,

only problem there is that sometimes it gets too loud.

..............Perilously "Inconsolable"..........

I close the door
Like so many times, so many times before
Filmed like a scene on the cutting room floor
I wanna let you walk away tonight without a word

I try to sleep, yeah
But the clock is stuck on thoughts of you and me
A thousand more regrets unraveling
OOoh, if you were here right now,
I swear I'd tell you this

Baby I don't wanna waste another day
Keepin it inside, it's killing me
Cause all I ever wanted comes right down to you (to you)
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable

I climb the walls, yeah
I can see the edge,
But I can't take the fall, no
I've memorized the number
So why can't I make the call
Maybe cause I know you'll always be with me
In the possibility (whoooaa)

Baby I don't wanna waste another day

Keepin it inside, it's killing me
Cause all I ever wanted comes right down to you (to you)
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable

No, no, no

I don't wanna be like this
I just wanna let you know
That everything I hold in
Is everything I can't let go (oooh, can't let go yea)

Cause BABAYYYYY
I don't wanna waste another day
Keepin it inside, it's killing me
Cause all I ever wanted comes right down to you (to you)
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable (oooh)

Don't you know it baby
I don't wanna waste another day
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oooh, I'm inconsolable
Whoaa yeah
I'm inconsolable yeah yeah

Dust of the Dust of the Dust….

Over the years I have observed some characteristics that some Sikhs have taken on regarding an effort to reduce ego/pride. As Sikhs we are taught to not get attached to the five "challenges" of Lust, Anger, Greed, Pride and Attachment. In an effort to prevent these feelings I have seen some practices by Sikhs which I think are unnecessary.

The first routine is the overly humble guise. It goes something like this: "I am just a lowly sinner…" , "I am the dust of the dust of the dirt"… "I am a das of the das", "I know nothing…", etc. Most of the time when I hear this type of thing from people it feels just like a cover to try to negate any ego. In reality for most people it feels like a false routine to portray ones self as humble. I know in Gurbani Guru Nanak and other Gurus have used similar words as this…but this was our Gurus expression. It’s one thing if you say this to yourself as an internal thing in your mind…..but to say it to other people is very different. It’s as if you have to say it out loud to prove, or make sure that people know you are humble. It’s sort of a false humbleness. If you are humble people will see it in your actions, words, and in your presence (not by words and statements about your humbleness).

There is the "Please forgive me" Maafi routine ("Bhul Chuk Maaf) - That one starts out apologizing and then getting really heavy. As if by apologizing it makes everything that is said ok.

There is the "I know nothing" routine - Someone gives a lecture for two hours and then ends with something like "I know nothing and am just a servant of you all."

Another routine is the "anonymous sevadhar". This is by far the most common I have seen these days. I think many Sikhs have been taught that in order to prevent ego from coming into your mind that you should remain hidden and unknown when doing seva. While this might work and be great in some situations, I think quite often this is taken to extremes for everything.

Bana, Clothing, jewelry, etc - This is another one where people think that if you are wearing bana that you are showing off and trying to look holy. So they say you should wear very simple clothes that don’t stand out. This routine also relates to jewelry and people feel that by wearing jewelry that you are getting caught up maya. We all talk about being Khalsa Raj, Kings, Queens, princes and princesses. So…are we paupers or are we kings/queens? This is another case of trying to shelter ourselves from feeling ego/pride/etc.

The point of all this is more about finding a balance.As Sikhs we are householders that live in this world. We are not sadhus hiding up in the mountains to escape from all the Maya. Trying to shelter or protect one self from feeling these things is not the answer (in my opinion). We as Sikhs should deal with it head on. God gave us a mind and intellect to feel these things and to be able to deal with them. Beating around the bush trying to hide from it can only work for so long. When you have a feeling of pride/ego/lust/etc….you have a choice. You can dwell or act on it…or you can be conscious of this feeling and "cut" it and change the direction of your thoughts. I think the problem is when you are not conscious of these feelings.

Being a Leader and Examples for others to Follow
Another thing in relation to "anonymous seva" is that there is a need for leadership and good examples for everyone around us. It is a good thing to have role models and be able to see people who are doing good things for the community. If all these people are "hiding out" they might not be available to share and help inspire others to do the same. I think it is great to be out there and help others in a public way. I deal with this all the time being the so called "Mr. SikhNet". Lots of people know me, and I serve and share very publicly. Am I full of ego and pride? I don’t think so. The service isn’t about me…it’s about being of service and helping others. It’s just a medium. It’s not to say I never feel pride or ego, but I watch my mind and catch it if it tries to go astray. It’s just part of the territory. I choose to face these things head on. Some people do this and may fall victim, but this is just part of life and learning. We learn by overcoming these challenges and controlling our mind, not by hiding out.

There is something good about being very personal with people, being honest, and sharing who I am. Having nothing to hide makes one also more conscious of things that they do and say, because you have to take responsibility for everything, which isn’t always easy. On the internet lots of people (Sikhs included) choose to hide behind anonymous names and say/do things that they would never do publicly as "themself". There is a certain character I think in being you, and taking responsibility (good and bad) for your actions and words.

Hopefully all this makes you think about these topics and become more conscious about how you deal with it in the future.

How do I..................

How do I get through one night without you

If I had to live without you

What kind of life would that be

Oh I, I need you in my arms

Need you to hold

You're my world, my heart, my soul

If you ever leave

Baby you would take away everything good in my life

And tell me now

How do I live without you

I want to know

How do I breathe without youIf you ever go

How do I ever, ever survive

How do I

How do I

Oh, how do I live

Without you, there'd be no sun in my sky

There would be no love in my life

There'd be no world left for me

And I, oh Baby, I don't know what I would do

I'd be lost if I lost you

If you ever leave

Baby you would take away everything real in my life

And tell me now

How do I live without you

I want to know

How do I breathe without you

If you ever go

How do I ever, ever survive

How do I

How do I

Oh, how do I live

Please tell me baby

How do I go on

If you ever leave

Baby you would take away everything

Need you with me

Baby don't you know that you're everything good in my life

And tell me now

How do I live without you

I want to know

How do I breathe without you

If you ever go

How do I ever, ever survive

How do I

How do I

Oh, how do I live

how do I live without you

how do I live without you baby

how do I live....

Finish Each Day

Finish each day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities
no doubt crept in;

forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely and
with too high a spirit

to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Push Back..!

When life pushes you down, push Back!
That's what you're here for.
You're capable, you're creative,
you're full of life and energy.
You have what it takes to move yourself forward
around any obstacle.
Don't let anything stop you.

Take strength from meeting the challenges,
and move ahead.
The struggle you face are just what you need
to fulfill your potential for greatness.

A year from now,
when you look back at today,
you'll see that the problem
you're so concerned with right now,
was another valuable lesson waiting to be learned.

I beg.........................

I beg

Lying Here in da Dark

I keep in thinking

wat I have done

where I made mistake

wat is wrong wid me

why I m like this cursed?

is it a sin?

to love

to live

why I am not allowed

to see even a small happiness

of my own lying here

in dark

give me light

give me love

give me happiness

O lord Please

I beg

When I m all alone....................

Nobody Knows its empty

This smile that I wear,

The real one is left in the past

Becoz U have left me there.

Nobody knows I m crying

They won’t even see my tears

When they think that I m Laughing

I still wishing U were Here.

Nobody knows it’s painful

they think that I m strong

they say that this won’t kill me

But I wonder if they were wrong.

Nobody knows I m praying

That U will change my Mind

They Think that I had let U go

When u left me behind.

Nobody knows I miss U

They think I Feel set Free

But I feel like I m bound with chains

Trapped in the Mystery.

Nobody knows I need U

They say I can do it on my own,

But they don’t know I m crying

When I m all alone.

Unpeeling the Onion

Quote from the Guru is listed above with some of my art.

Remember, it may start to burn your eyes as you peel away layers of the onions, but it's important to do for all you touch won't be affected by such a burn or a sting. We are constantly evolving to serve others, to serve ourselves, to serve the divine reflection that is the G.O.D. force galactica.