Ajay0

The best indicator of your level of consciousness is how you deal with life's challenges when they come. Through those challenges, an already unconscious person tends to become more deeply unconscious, and a conscious person more intensely conscious. You can use a challenge to awaken you, or you can allow it to pull you into even deeper sleep. The dream of ordinary unconsciousness then turns into a nightmare. ~ Eckhart Tolle Every challenge takes you a little deeper and awakens you again and again. Without the challenges, you probably would go to back to sleep. The challenges keep you awake. ~ Eckhart Tolle I do not put much emphasis on periods of meditation - if you do meditation, it's fine - but the important thing is to bring the awareness into everyday life, into every little action that you do, into the varied challenges of everyday life. ~ Eckhart Tolle https://www.azquotes.com/author/14703-Eckhart_Tolle/tag/challenges

A message by Dadi Janki of the Brahmakumaris on interfaith harmony , delivered for World Interfaith and Harmony Week 2015. https://aboutbrahmakumaris.org/un-page-on-interfaith-and-harmony-week/

This is actually an ancient concept known as the Rajarshi. The Rajarshi means one who has attained both spiritual prosperity as in enlightenment and material prosperity as in wealth and riches. The Rajarshi is considered superior to the mere monk because the monk is dependent on the Rajarshi for his food, shelter and other necessities. By aiding the monk in his material needs, the Rajarshi gets the spiritual merit for it. The slogan of the enlightened sage Prem Nirmal is to become 'an enlightened billionaire.' Janaka is mentioned in the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita as an ancient enlightened king who attained enlightenment , and is often considered as a symbolic example of the Rajarshi. Solomon is similarly an example of a wise and wealthy philosopher-king in the Abrahamic tradition. Janaka and Solomon are good examples to follow in terms of people who have attained both spiritual and material prosperity.

The two world wars which originated in europe and killed over 100 million people came as a result of military alliances and competition over colonies. The wars weakened the european colonial powers to the point that the asian, african and south american nations were able to gain their independence and freedom. Sadhguru is a Guru and has disciples in China as well and does not have any nationalistic bias. He is only wishing for world peace and hoping that the ukraine war does not result in further casualties . India , in a display of its diplomatic prowess and capabilities, patched up its relations with China recently and Modi and Xi were seen together in the Brics summit recently. ( Brics now covers more people and gdp than the g7.) US-nato however still keeps a confrontational posture with Russia( the only power on earth with the nuclear weapon capabilities to wipe out US-NATO) instead of seeking diplomatic solutions through talks and dialogue.

The present ongoing wars with a potential for escalation to nuclear holocaust is not a conspiracy theory but a hard fact. Check out the thousands of dead solddiers and civilians, if you care to look. I am not a fan of Trump but I am okay with his statements on de-escalation of the european war.

Well, I appreciate your innocence and naivete.

What if that is what the capitalist own media narratives say so that they can keep creating wars around the world to bag expensive orders for their weaponry , without anyone getting smarter or wiser ! They have even dismantled democratic governments and replaced them with authoritarian ones if it fitted their economic agenda. I would ask you to exercise your own judgement rather than be superficially manipulated by external conditioning .

Fasting increases the prana/chi which helps in healing and helps meditate better. However, fasting for a week or month is not advisable unless you have done the necessary preparation and research, is used to such long fasts, and have a conducive ecosystem around you with experienced guides and medical facilities. I would recommend intermittent or partial fasting or fasts for upto three days at the most. I usually do not eat much at night and avoid dinner and supper as it helps me to rise up early with a clear head. Food taken at night also goes mainly undigested so it is a waste of money and food as well. Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography has creditted low food intake or fasts with better mental clarity.

Sadghguru has a right to his opinion. Even American intellectuals like Noam Chomsky and Christopher Hedges have been critical of US-Nato's expansion to the very borders of Russia, wilfully ignoring their promise to Gorbachev, and which provoked the invasion. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_218172.htm?selectedLocale=en Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg admitted and boasted about nato provoking Putin to invade, ignoring the heavy casualties of the war that followed, and focussed only on the expansion of NATO inspite of the threat of nuclear war and holocaust. Defense companies share values have increased manifold after the war, and I am suspecting that this has been a money making scheme from the start. “War is rich old men protecting their property by sending middle class and lower class young men off to die. It always has been.” ~ George Carlin

Food is not the only source of energy. In yoga and martial arts, there are techniques to gain prana or chi so as to overcome fatigue fast. I know of many yogis who do prodigious work with less or no food intake. And there are many who eat prodigal amounts of food while exerting most painfully to reach the tv remote control. In the 'Autoiograhy of a yogi'. Yogananda had cited the examples of Theresa Neumann and Giri Bala as examples of saints who have never eaten for years. That's a cultural difference. In India , I know of stories of advanced Kalaripayattu martial artists who prepare for duels with fasts and meditation, solitude and silence to increase their chi. They can kill a much heftier opponent by hitting their vital spots in unarmed combat, or in armed combat behead him with a urumi or whip like blade before he can process what is happening, at a split second or twinkling of an eye. Lots of muscle mass does not figure much in such combat, and they usually result in lack of necessary speed, agility and manueverability which a trained expert can easily exploit.

Even Siddhartha took around six years to attain enlightenment or Buddhahood. He studied from the best teachers around, applied whatever he learnt passionately, endured privations which would weaken the resolve of lesser beings, and eventually reached enlightenment. There were many who died and still die trying to reach Mt.Everest, the highest peak in the world or Mt.K2,considered the most dangerous mountain in the world, but this does not meant that they were beyond human capabilities. Enlightenent is considered to be the greatest of human achievements due to the perpetual peace and bliss attained, compared to other achievements which will only result in temporary happiness and peace till the next desire arises. Nothing in life comes free and you have to pay the proper price for it in terms of study, effort and time.

Isro is set to launch its first electric propulsion-led spacecraft , significantly reducing satellite mass. https://www.indiatvnews.com/science/isro-to-launch-electric-propelled-satellite-in-december-2024-chairman-somanath-2024-10-28-959231 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indias-first-home-grown-electric-propulsion-satellite-to-be-launched-in-dec-isro-chief/articleshow/114665755.cms

Mohanji is a modern spiritual master, and the following is a description of his awakening process... https://mohanji.org/mohanji-life-journey/

Full-fledged individuality will result in anarchy and chaos, with people doing as they fit without consideration for the other. External morality, brought about by well-thought and defined laws helps to ensure order and prevent the impinging of individual rights and liberty. As Martin Luther King stated, “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me but it can keep him from lynching me and I think that is pretty important, also”. Obviously love, and compassion as a state of consciousness manifesting as non-violence would amount to inner morality. If inner morality is lacking, external morality would have to obviously come in place through fear of law and punishment. Morality, external and internal, also enables better self-discipline, focus and impulse control, necessary for curbing the natural inertia and restlesness of the mind, creating external and internal environments conducive to peace and coherent thought. The mind thus becomes an ideal instrument for philosophical enquiry and attaining self-knowledge. Ethical discipline or morality , as per eastern philosophy,thus plays the role of exercises in disciplining the mind and calming it. It is a calm and equanimous mind that has the best possibility of thinking coherently and correctly, and for gaining Self-knowlege and enlightenment. When someone has good virtue, or sīla, they have better behavioral discipline. The Buddha taught that sīla is the foundation of all wholesome qualities. That means that if we develop good sīla, then it will be easy to develop other good qualities like samādhi (concentration) and paññā (wisdom). Thus moral conduct has value in reducing psychological suffering and increasing happiness and peace through wisdom.

Yeah, I suppose nihilism may have been a byproduct of the intellectual wave of scientific materialism and utilitarianism in the west in the past two centuries, which subjected everything including morals and ethics to the narrow analytic frameworks of scientific scrutiny and utility value.

'Wholesome virtuous behavior progressively leads to the foremost.' - Buddha AN 10.1 Western philosophy and psychology, which is of recent origin, has not yet touched upon the phenomenon of enlightenment or Buddhahood , and this is why nihilism and other lopsided philosophies like existentialism were prominent in the west leading to an erroneous thought process and corresponding actions, considering all moral values to be abstractly contrived. Nihilism is considered to be a philosophical cause for the world wars. Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor and famous psychiatrist had this to say regarding the influence of nihilism... In eastern philosophy on the other hand, moral values and virtues are considered to be valuable in expansion of consciousness (and destruction of karma) alongside meditation, awareness or total love and instrumental in attainment of enlightenment or Buddhahood.

True indeed. The nihilist however, ignorant of the phenomenon of enlightenment, would consider truth to be a mental abstraction as well, considering chaos and randomness to be the essential feature of the multiverse or existence in general. Rajini Menon is a modern enlightened sage who attained enlightenment by adhering to virtuous conduct and following her conscience. I had created a thread on her in this regard over here... https://www.actualized.org/forum/topic/54125-female-enlightened-master-rajini-menon-on-attaining-enlightenment-by-virtuous-conduct/#comment-711667 The enlightened sage Anandamayi Ma had stated that atheists are capable of spiritual development and enlightenment provided there is adherence to ethical conduct.

The International Day of Diplomats is celebrated every year on October 24 since 2017, honouring the invaluable role that diplomats play in maintaining international relations, fostering peace, and promoting dialogue between countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomat https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!international/international-day-of-diplomats-2024-enn24102400601 War is a failure of diplomacy and it is said that the world wars could have been avoided if there were quality diplomats and diplomatic processes in place which would have prevented the botched negotiations then. The nations of the world make substantial investments in their military and only a fraction of that goes to creating a top-notch diplomatic corps. I am hoping that this day can help people remember the value of diplomacy and dialogue in fostering peace and preventing conflicts, and place renewed emphasis on it again.

Sister Shivani, a Brahmakumari spiritual teacher, advises taking a 5-second pause before drinking water or eating food to say positive affirmations. She believes this simple practice can lead to inner peace and prosperity by allowing the water to absorb and reflect positive intentions, fostering a healthier mindset and overall well-being. The affirmations can help orient the thought process to a positive one, and gratitude expressed can attract more positives to life. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/soul-search/sister-shivanis-5-second-rule-before-drinking-water-can-help-achieve-your-goals/articleshow/113211086.cms

Thank you for pointing it out. I have corrected it.

I have stated this in my post as well. Since our attention unconsciously and automatically goes to what's wrong and negative, we need to consciously focus on the positives. This obviously requires some effort but will build up your mental and emotional strength in the process. You gain the strength of that which you overcome, and you will find yourself overcoming other problems easily as well due to the increased strength. Nothing good in this world will come without effort. If you need a good healthy body or mind, you will have to expend the necessary effort for it. B.K.S.Iyengar, whom doctors had forecast would die before 20 due to the multiple diseases he had, overcame his problems with his diligent study and practice of hatha yoga. He lived a rich, fulfilled and successful life and finally died at the age of 95 . In his own words, “Health is not a commodity to be bargained for. It has to be earned through sweat.”

One has to practice wisdom through living in the present. ~ Nirmala Devi ( founder of Sahaja Yoga ) If there is no wisdom, rationality can be very dangerous. ~ Nirmala Devi When scientific or rational thinking is grounded in presence it has a completely different outcome. It can never be monstrous. ~ Dr. Jean Klein Thought alone, when it is no longer connected with the much vaster realm of consciousness, quickly becomes barren, insane, destructive. ~ Eckhart Tolle Once you are corrupted by thought you have no sense of life, simply your own psychological process is more important than the whole cosmic dimension of the existence. ~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

To get rid of the negativity, focus on all the positives in your life, no matter how trivial it may be, and write them down in a notebook for easy reference when you need it. This worked a lot for me when I was in dire straits at one point in my life , and now I do not have any need for this at present. It does serve as a morale-booster at times. In the Mahabharatha, when Arjuna became suicidal at a certain time, Krishna exhorted him to focus on his positives alone in solitude for a span of time. This helped him to get rid of his depression. Hence some Swamis at present recommend this technique for suicidal people which has been helpful as well. In the book 'The power of positive thinking', Norman Vincent Peale similarly exhorts a depressed man to write down his positives ( Peale writes them down himself after questioning the man), and after studying all the positives, the man gets a new perspective and realizes that his situation was not that bad after all. Realizing the positives in life generates contentment and gratitude which is said to attract even more positives to life. Focussing on the negatives similarly generates discontentment and negativity which can attract more negative to life. So I would ask you to first practice mental hygiene by getting rid of negative thoughts and emotions as well as systematically and diligently focussing on the positives. I have had toxic relatives in my life, but I keep it a policy to keep a distance from them. I also try to focus on the positives they have , as well as the positives of having them in life. In case you do not have a family, life can be very rough and hard and I know of some orphans who suffered a lot, had to earn their own livelihood and had to work harder and endure more privations and hardships than those who had the safety net of a family. When I get angry with my own toxic relatives, I direct my thought process to such thoughts which helps in reducing the steam and emotivity. Meditation has been a useful tool to me in regulating my mind, thinking and emoting. Imho, mind management is the ultimate management tool, and if you can manage your own mind, you can manage anything else well.

Yes. To respond consciously or unconsciously is a choice available to any human being. The general population opt for the latter as the mind's tendency is to perceive the negative in any situation. So it takes a bit of effort and practice to be aware and mindfully respond rather than unconsciously react, and this is a quality of a trained mind as opposed to an untrained mind. It is said that the gift of wisdom is the most sacred gift of all. Hopefully this message will come across to all human beings .

A similar thread I have created in this regard...