I dont have a title for this one

I have wings to fly to eternity
I have feet to walk into the sunset
I have eyes to drink in the sunrise
I have ears to converse with nature
I have a mind to traverse this universe
I have imagination to go far beyond

I am free, unencumbered
I am strong, indestructible
I am sharp, observant
I am intelligent, patient
I am supreme, eternal
I am alive, aware
I am omniscient, omnipresent

I am human and divine
I was before and always am
I live to die and fall to rise
I sing for no one
I perform for mine

I exist coz i do
I fade away eventually
I accept, never succumb
I fight, never resist

I believe in now
I trust what i am
I ask who i am -and
I know now, that i am

Paradise

I recently read a comment on a website that said: “I love the way it tells you of a relaxing paradide”. That got me thinking – Isnt that what paradise is supposed to be? A place where one can rest eternally? Isnt paradise the place where everything is exactly the way one wants it to be? A place without compromises, suffering, etc etc? A place where a person can be themselves and have their own after-life?

But this brings to my mind another issue – surely we cant ALL want the same paradise. Then that would involve compromises and not having what you want. So this begs a question - What is paradise?

Is it that place one (hopefully) lands in once they’ve passed away? Does it co-exist with hell? Or is it just a single place that once can call paradise? Is it a place at all? Or is it merely a concept one likes to hold on to while alive in order to alleviate the fear and uncertainty that the common man holds of death?

The truth is, I don’t think we will ever know simple because we are not dead, and that once we are dead, I doubt if we would be able to tell ppl who are alive (I specifically choose NOT to enter into a discussion about ghosts or zombies here).

There’s a film called “What Dreams May Come”, starring Robin Williams. I really liked the description of paradise and hell that was given there. It showed how every person entering “paradise” enters a world of their own creation – their happy place if you want – will their own abilities and landscapes and lifestyles etc etc.. I was fascinated by it since it allowed the existence of individuality and free will after death and also beautifully evaded the concept of GOD and clouds and halos. Hell was explained as well, as a prison one keeps oneself in, without realizing all that one must do is get up and leave. I found this sort of reasoning very similar to real life itself and therefore appreciated it.

Coming back to paradise itself, assuming paradise was a place that gives an individual everything they want - including people, places, comforts, situations, etc etc for all eternity. So this brings in the fact that in a given individual’s paradise, there is the presence of more than that person themselves. So this calls for the intersection of at least 2 paradises, where each person exists in each other’s paradise.

Now consider a case where A wants B in their paradise, but B does not want A in his. What is to happen to both their worlds? Obviously A will have B – since it is paradise, and B will not have A owing to the same rule. So the B that must exist in A’s paradise will not be real, but will still have to be according to A. This brings us to a situation not too far from the minds of persons commonly found in mental asylums.

So what is this paradise? A place? An illusion? A panacea? It’s obviously something that cannot be defined, coz if it were, it would be limited and such a thing is not possible (again a contradiction. I am here assuming that paradise is “defined” as a place that cannot be limited.)

There’s a Zen story that springs to mind:
A respected general goes to a Zen monk and asks him “Where do the gates of Heaven and Hell lie?”. The monk gives the general a mocking look and replies “A fool like you can hardly hope to understand such a thing. Be gone moron”. Angered at the monk’s insolence the general draws out his sword prepares to kill the monk at which point the monk yells out “Here lie the Gates to Hell”. At that moment, the general realized his folly and fell to his knees and apologized to the monk and the monk said “And Here lie the gates to Heaven”.

I guess what the story tries to say here is that Heaven and Hell are not distant places that once reaches upon death. They are real and present themselves to us at every moment and in every choice we make. This is a very real world, practical way to look at the abstractness that paradise provides us with.

But I must say one thing. If paradise really did exist, I wouldn’t wanna go there. I would be far happier being a spirit and reveling in my birth into the afterlife and explore the infinity for all eternity. My own “paradise” if you must.

In Memoriam

Every person has that one place in their home/room, where they just keep on piling up things.. Items of memory, small curios, interesting keychains, old parchments, useless colorful papers, "special" letters/cards, small gifts from people, etc etc..

In my search for the original of my driving licence, i chanced upon such a place that i had - it was a complete mess.. With hopelessness by my side, i delved into the pile, eyes keenly looking out for that small rectangular item that i seek so fastidiously.. Needless to say, I dint find it.. But i realised one thing.. As a person who seems so detached and as one who doesnt really give much importance to material stuff, subconsciously i seem to be a real hoarder!!

Out came all the useless pieces of crap - Old bills, question papers, random boxes, warranty documents long expired, graph sheets :D, log books, gym gloves, broken earphones (7 of them!! wtf!), CDs and blah blah blah..

But, as i perused the objects that remained (with slight amusement i admit), I realised that each of those items had a story behind them, a history of sorts, of how I came to be in their possession and why I still had them.. Was I feeling nostalgia as i held them in my hands? Possibly.. But it was not mere memories.. It was a flurry of emotions as well - happiness, sadness, excitement, surprise, amusement, wierdness (yes i consider this also as a distinct uncategorizable emotion) - all of which, i gathered, were what i had experienced when i had first come across each of those items..

I have no real purpose as I write this note.. It is merely an observation of sorts.. The musings of an individual amused by his own actions.. Actions that have led one through life, collecting memorablia of such variety.. A bunch of experiences locked away in a wooden cage, treasured by time and forgotten by memory..

Child's Play

The smell is the first thing I sense.. A wonderful, rich, beautiful smell that fills my heart with joy.. A smell that intoxicates and makes you stop whatever you are doing and just fill your lungs with that magical essence..

Then I hear it.. My heart thumps with excitement.. The grandeur of that sound has created gods, and its power has made many a proud men quiver with fear..

The sight! The most expansive and terrifying of all of God’s manifestations.. Instantaneous apparitions that strike at the heart of every soul who sees it.. Flashes that remind us of the existence of powers far beyond our own..

Then comes the phenomenon itself.. Rain they call it.. I say its an opportunity to immerse ourselves is the wonder that is Nature.. The mother calls out to us “Come! Cleanse yourselves in me! I am the River, I am the Sea!! I have come for you, my child. Embrace me!”.. The mother calls, I answer..

I dissolve in every drop that i touch.. I return myself to the world a thousand times over..  My sorrows disappear; my happiness plays to its hearts content.. A calmness drapes my being and I am a mere child who knows nothing of the secrets of the universe, except that he is in it, and it is within him..

All that is there, standing drenched in the rain, is just that child playing with his mother – the mother that created him and his world, the mother that gave him trees to climb on and lakes to swim in, the mother who he truly belongs to and of whom he is a part..

What a performance the elements put up! Oh the wonder! The heavens and the sun provide amusement playing hide-and-seek and creating the most lovely images on the blue canvas of the sky! The music of the wind punctuated by the claps of thunder and supported by the pitter-patter of falling droplets.. The Bolts of lightning tearing the sky apart; Photographing the joyous moments of a child in his mother’s arms!

The world stands by and watches, knowing from its vast experience that what happens will last while it does, and like all good things, must reach a conclusion..

The child smirks as the mother bids adieu.. He is not sad, he does not worry over her departure.. He knows, even if she leaves, her presence is all around him in the breeze through the trees; in the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the night..

He knows, more than anything, that she will be back.. and when she does, the child will be there.. Waiting for her.. Eager to play.. Eager to be in her loving hands again.. To play till he forgets himself and is enveloped by the universe he belongs to..

He smiles and He waits..

Just Breathe

A status of mine used recently said the following:

"everybody has a true nature - a side of one's self that makes one feel exuberant, fulfilled and content.. be that.. good and bad are only social stigmas.. never let them affect the self that is you..

Life is but a breath - dont force it in or out.."

(That last bit about life being a breath is Buddha's thing, and one of my most favourtie statements as well)

It kinda felt not-right to leave the message as small as the status box.. therefore i decided to make a small post out of it..

We all live in a world where we are not the only beings alive - rather unfortunate i've always thought.. The problem with this is that over time society has developed rules and doctrines that it expects ppl to align to.. So many people, fearing osctraiscm and craving the need to be wanted, force themselves to be limited by this code.. Over time and generations, two things have happened:

• The subservience to society has been passed on generation after generation and has resulted in fear of taking risks becoming a part of people's nature
• The other thing is that the supressed frustrations have also grown over time and lead to individuals who are extremists who break away drastically and create more furor and confusion rather than any good..

Interestingly, there comes a third category of people.. the thinkers + observers.. the ones who fall under neither, but are those who belong to a slightly more evolved kind of consciousness.. A lot of people in the world today belong to this category..

The reason i wanted to write this article was to stress on this.. the members of the third category often force themselves to align with either the first or second kind - please do not!! that would be conscious suicide (hope somebody gets the pun in that)

Every choice has its effects - side effects - consequences - blah blah blah.. Some choices make you a hero.. Some choices make you a legend.. Some choices make you a fool.. Some choices make you die.. But, if the choice you make allows you to be yourself, then the above effects do not matter..

I do not believe in goodness and evil.. Both exist because of the other.. If all our souls are the same, then it doesnt matter if there are good and bad ones.. both are pieces of the same whole..

I look at the concept of karma this way - By doing a 'bad' act, you only hurt yourself.. True since you're all part of the same bloody thing.. how does doing a 'good' thing benefit you? refer above.. there's no bloody difference..

Spirits may be the term given to streams of energy that go from one body to another to atone for past sins.. but I am not the spirit.. the spirit is me, but i am not the spirit.. I am so much more.. how can one spirit's sins affect me when another spirit's blessings absolve me?

I am not a contradiction.. I just am; the contradictions happen on their own.. they form, deform and disappear on their own.. they come and go through existence.. I just am..

Allow me to be, and I be.. Try and force me to change and i'll still be.. what can i change into when i am everything??

Being Simple - Simplified

A very recent discussion I had with a fellow intellectual has made my over-active mind think along the following lines:

To BE, or Not to BE

The focus here is on the highlighted words which draw attention to something people seldom identify themselves with – themselves.

The topic that my friend was writing on was one that has captured my attention for quite some time now.. It ran along the lines of simplicity of being and a being of simplicity.. There are differences between the two.. The former is one who is simple by nature and therefore is unfazed by material objects.. The latter, on the other hand, considers materials immaterial and leads a life enough to sustain oneself..

People say that simple people do not indulge in luxury.. I disagree.. A person being simple has nothing to do with their bank balance and garage sizes.. If a person is to be classified based on what they posses, then the absolute true value of every single person is - .. Being simple is to do with a person's awareness of themselves and the ability to accept themselves for what they are.. Such people can be found is sprawling villas, secluded ashrams, begging on the streets and abundantly in apartment blocks.. Being simple is an attitude and a state of mind.. 

Being simple is quite simply just being simple!


We posses nothing.. All we have is our selves.. Most people forget that.. The world is so distracted in the special effects that it has missed the plot altogether.. We no longer understand that the graphics only help present the story and is not the story in itself..

Having an Audi can help a man satiate his wanderlust! It cannot create it..

One of my favourite quotes states “Man travels all the world in search of what he wants, and comes home to find it.” That is how we live today.. We look all around us, trying to figure out our purpose and our identity..
All we have to do is stop searching and start living..  Descartes said “I think, therefore I am”. Unfortunately, I never really agreed with that statement.. I prefer to just say, “I am” (sometimes I even consider that statement not worth making)..

Stop trying to DO and start BE-ing..

Let life happen and experience every moment..

We have our options in front of us.. Either step out of the crowd, or continue to flow in the waves of chaos ..

The thing with simplicity is, it really is as easy as a choice between:

To Be, or not to BE

Why it Matters

One of the earlier notes i wrote was primarily on the theme of "nothing really matters - this statement included".. But, that's really not the case in life.. In fact, sometimes it seems like EVERYTHING matters - the color of the clothes we wear, our weight, height, complexion, car we use, what others think of us, the taste of coffee, the brand of noodles - literally everything.. So I have repeatedly asked myself, if I know that nothing really matters, why can I not believe and practice it compeltely?

A lot of questioning, understanding and observing has finally lead me to one simple and extremely perplexing answer - because its there!

A rich man knows no poverty.
A hungry man knows no stale bread.
A dead man knows no pleasure.
A blind man knows no color.
A comatose man knows no senses.

A lot of our knowledge exists because the subject of the knowledge exists.. Hate exists because of conflict; Conflict exists because of lack of understanding; Lack of understanding exists coz two people arent the same person - and that is the fundamental truth..

When we have known luxury, penury is very hard to handle.. Only when we have forced acceptance upon ourselves and have understood that luxury is an excess can a person become comfortable with poverty..

To a farmer it doesnt matter whether you say pot-ay-to or pot-ah-to - an English professor is bound to make a big deal out of it.. The only difference between the two of them is the knowledge they posses of the language and what is supposed to be..

The same professor might sing a poem to describe the taste of honey - while a mute might just smile.. Both of them have described it amply.. Such is the difference we have in expressing ourselves.. And this difference is what gives rise to all our problems - meaning, it matters..

It is impossible for all the world to think as a single person - but still we try to make it happen.. Hinduism is called so because the Englishmen used to refer to the religion of the people beyong the Indus - The name hinduism does not appear anywhere in any society that practiced the religion.. The reason?? There was no other belief system to get confused with.. A monopoly does not need a brand name..

We as a race often confuse our opinions with our selves.. When we do that, we lose sight of what matters and get caught up in the frivolous.. But, such is the case and since we all hold our opinions dear to us, it agitates us when faced with a conflicting opinion.. As we have lost the distinction between us and our opinion, we take the opposition personally and hence it matters to us..

The point here is, there is no all black or all white or all red or blue or green.. Humanity is a spectrum of colors.. All we can do is appreciate the shadows and enjoy the rainbows..