05.10.15

The Art of Doing Nothing

Do you find that your mind chatter follows you everywhere? To work, to a party and even into sleep?

So, why not practice doing a little bit of 'nothing' everyday. Instead of 'Don't just sit there, do something' try 'Don't just do something, sit there.'

Simply let all thoughts pass through your mind and gently replace that inner restlessness with inner calm.

To be mature is to understand the importance of the task in hand.

The one who is mature would know what his duty is, according to the time. If an adult plays with toys, it would not be right. In the same way, the one who is mature would not get distracted with tasks that are waste or unnecessary. He would do the right thing at the right time. Today I will keep a check on my actions. I will check if I am wasting any time in matters that are not useful. I will make sure that I will do the required tasks according to the need and time.

Intentions Behind Actions

The word karma has been given many negative meanings. In common language, most people almost always relate it to suffering, but the simplest meaning of karma is action. Newton's Third Law of Physics (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) is a physical law of motion. The Law of Karma is the metaphysical (non-physical) equivalent of the Newton's Third Law - it refers to action and its result (fruit) or, simply, cause and effect. The quality of my actions, thoughts more specifically determines my personal level of happiness. Our natures today are the result of everything we have thought; they are formed by our thoughts. It's not so much the act that determines the return or fruit but the quality of the motive or intention behind it e.g. in the simple task of buying a new car, the intention can be different in the case of three different people:

* I need to buy a good car; it's an urgent need of my family (concern).
* What if I am not able to buy that car model which my wife so badly wants (worry)?
* With me at the wheel of the brand new car, which I will be buying soon, I will be the talk of the town, my office colleagues will really be jealous of me (ego)!

Although the action is the same in each case, each of these attitudes will lead to a different result. This role of intentions become clear when analyzing the difference in guilt between an army officer who kills another while protecting his country and another person who plans for months to commit a murder out of personal enmity and hatred. The karma of taking the life of someone is the same in both cases, but the return or fruit of the karma depends on the intention.

Soul Sustenance

The Role Of Emotions In The Functioning Of The Soul

Inside the soul, there are four components – thoughts, feelings, emotions and sanskaras. Thoughts and feelings are present more on the surface of the soul in the conscious. Emotions and sanskaras on the other hand are less easily perceived and lie below thoughts and feelings.

Sanskaras can be defined as the traces left on the soul due to actions performed by it and also due to its interactions with others in relationships.

Emotions, on the other hand, are impulses associated with the sanskaras and are very close to these traces.

The internal functioning of the soul is cyclic - ‘thoughts gives rise to actions, actions give rise to sanskaras, and sanskaras give rise to further thoughts’. This description becomes complete, when we add an additional component – emotions. The deepest component inside the soul is the sanskaras. Next up from sanskaras are the emotions, above that are feelings and then finally the uppermost component inside the soul is the thoughts.

Thoughts can be caught instantly. Feelings can be seen and perceived if I stop for a moment and check. Emotions are deeper than both of them and are very close to the sanskaras, and just as its difficult to see all the sanskaras of an individual, we can't always see their emotions. Feelings, being more towards the surface, can be clearly identified, but you have to go deeper to see the quality of emotions a person is creating and the quality of his/her sanskaras.

Message for the day

Freedom means accepting the rules of freedom.

Expression: The one who wants freedom naturally accepts the rules that go untold. He is willing to take responsibility for all his decisions and choices. Such a person will never blame others but try to check his own mistakes.

Experience: When I take decisions with freedom and take responsibility for them, I am able to learn from anything that goes wrong. I'll feel light and free yet with a base from where I can work. Thus I find myself experiencing constant progress.