Do I still have what I read yesterday in mind and practice it or is it all long begone???
Why am I starting it this way, I think it is important to recall what you have been doing since you start reading such a book, as it is meant for practical application and not just for showing off to people that I read a book.
I have been trying to be conscious of what I say/do and think, but actually it has to be the other way round, you got to check what you think first and reflect that in your actions. For some reason I realized what I thought, only after I said/did it. What am I doing now? Giving an excuse for not having done something :). And having said this, I have already started looking into this. How? After having realized I should not have said what I said to someone, I made it a point to correct at the same moment without any hesitation.
I read the second part today and did complete it, glad I dont have to give you an excuse. Not sure if I have something to share with you on what I read today, as its all a reflection of the first part, as in the common excuses were talked of in the first part and this part talked of some principles that were related to the first part, and since I thought of all of all this yesterday, there was nothing very new, but I dont consider the second as not worth reading, as you really have to read it for certain things to strike you hard.
But I was very happy about something. A lot of people that even know a little about me, know for a fact the aversion I have for reading. Until yesterday I have been giving the most lame excuse one could ever think of. When I was still going to school, my parents kept insisting that I got to study well and top the class which I tried doing and succeeded most of the times. As a result, my studying became a mechanical activity which I didnt like doing and consequently, most of what I studied used to be in my brain only until I wrote the exams. But what did I think/tell people, that I have a aversion to any kind of reading as it is something that I was compelled to do, so am not going to be doing it anymore. Of-course which parent wouldn't wish that their kids should study well?
I have been persuaded to cultivate the reading habit several times, and have been giving the same excuse all this while and even after knowing how much knowledge/wisdom one can attain through reading. This book is being a revelation. I achieved my target(of reading one part a day) and felt a sense of satisfaction. I read this in the book that says, if you even think you wanna do/achieve something, unconsciously/subconsciously(not sure of the term) some part of you is working towards it, I realized this when I achieved my target today, which I never expected to, that too when it comes to reading :). I was just told that the same concept is explained in the Bhagavad Gita:
Wow!
I have met a lot of targets when I used to work for a company, with the only satisfaction of getting paid, but the contentment that I have now is immeasurable.
I happened to incidentally take a look of the author's wiki page. Inspired yet again! He grew up in an orphanage during his adolescence besides his mom being alive. He still firmly said, that helped him to do what he's been doing now. Put me in his position, wud've for sure attributed all my failures to my mom. Another person I tend to think of now is Chinmayi Sripada(well-known as a playback singer in India). There's so much she's been doing at 26(I follow her blog, so find the link to it) and look at her background, her father left her when she was a child.
Just 2 more thoughts and will continue the rest tomorrow - ego and the power of the present. In-order for you to be aware and CHECK your thoughts, it is said that there should be no ego. According to Eckhart Tollle "Awareness and ego cant co-exist. Awareness leads to the highest self; Ego leads to your earthbound self".
I took a break for lunch after reading about the Power of the Present, which(the lunch-break) involved a 5min walk to the place I eat at. I came out and saw the bad weather. But despite the cold, rain and winds, something made me enjoy the 5min walk wholeheartedly. I really felt the goodness in enjoying the present more than dreaming of going to an exotic location in the summer.
Not forgetting about what happened in Japan today. We pray that the souls of the dead rest in peace and God give the strength to all who have lost a dear one or property. Of-course Japan for a fact is a non-excuse-giving-country that will build itself fast, and this goes out to the whole country wishing them to get better soon.
Why am I starting it this way, I think it is important to recall what you have been doing since you start reading such a book, as it is meant for practical application and not just for showing off to people that I read a book.
I have been trying to be conscious of what I say/do and think, but actually it has to be the other way round, you got to check what you think first and reflect that in your actions. For some reason I realized what I thought, only after I said/did it. What am I doing now? Giving an excuse for not having done something :). And having said this, I have already started looking into this. How? After having realized I should not have said what I said to someone, I made it a point to correct at the same moment without any hesitation.
I read the second part today and did complete it, glad I dont have to give you an excuse. Not sure if I have something to share with you on what I read today, as its all a reflection of the first part, as in the common excuses were talked of in the first part and this part talked of some principles that were related to the first part, and since I thought of all of all this yesterday, there was nothing very new, but I dont consider the second as not worth reading, as you really have to read it for certain things to strike you hard.
But I was very happy about something. A lot of people that even know a little about me, know for a fact the aversion I have for reading. Until yesterday I have been giving the most lame excuse one could ever think of. When I was still going to school, my parents kept insisting that I got to study well and top the class which I tried doing and succeeded most of the times. As a result, my studying became a mechanical activity which I didnt like doing and consequently, most of what I studied used to be in my brain only until I wrote the exams. But what did I think/tell people, that I have a aversion to any kind of reading as it is something that I was compelled to do, so am not going to be doing it anymore. Of-course which parent wouldn't wish that their kids should study well?
I have been persuaded to cultivate the reading habit several times, and have been giving the same excuse all this while and even after knowing how much knowledge/wisdom one can attain through reading. This book is being a revelation. I achieved my target(of reading one part a day) and felt a sense of satisfaction. I read this in the book that says, if you even think you wanna do/achieve something, unconsciously/subconsciously(not sure of the term) some part of you is working towards it, I realized this when I achieved my target today, which I never expected to, that too when it comes to reading :). I was just told that the same concept is explained in the Bhagavad Gita:
Satvaanu roopaa sarvasya shraddhaa bhavathi bharatha
Shraddha mayoyam purusho yo yacchraddhah sa eva sah 17:3
"The faith of all men confirms to their mental constitution. Whatever the nature of the faith, he is verily that"
Wow!
I have met a lot of targets when I used to work for a company, with the only satisfaction of getting paid, but the contentment that I have now is immeasurable.
I happened to incidentally take a look of the author's wiki page. Inspired yet again! He grew up in an orphanage during his adolescence besides his mom being alive. He still firmly said, that helped him to do what he's been doing now. Put me in his position, wud've for sure attributed all my failures to my mom. Another person I tend to think of now is Chinmayi Sripada(well-known as a playback singer in India). There's so much she's been doing at 26(I follow her blog, so find the link to it) and look at her background, her father left her when she was a child.
Just 2 more thoughts and will continue the rest tomorrow - ego and the power of the present. In-order for you to be aware and CHECK your thoughts, it is said that there should be no ego. According to Eckhart Tollle "Awareness and ego cant co-exist. Awareness leads to the highest self; Ego leads to your earthbound self".
I took a break for lunch after reading about the Power of the Present, which(the lunch-break) involved a 5min walk to the place I eat at. I came out and saw the bad weather. But despite the cold, rain and winds, something made me enjoy the 5min walk wholeheartedly. I really felt the goodness in enjoying the present more than dreaming of going to an exotic location in the summer.
Not forgetting about what happened in Japan today. We pray that the souls of the dead rest in peace and God give the strength to all who have lost a dear one or property. Of-course Japan for a fact is a non-excuse-giving-country that will build itself fast, and this goes out to the whole country wishing them to get better soon.
Firstly, woooow! Really liked this piece a lot. Can see so much of you in it. Super..
ReplyDeleteSuggestions (bare with me!)
"For some reason I realized what I thought only after I said/did it." -- I dont know if it's correct or not, but I heard and believe that it is normal for humans. That is why some psychologists suggest writing/speaking out thoughts. I agree because most of the times when I think in my head, it seems like I know/understand a concept completely, but once I start to voice it, I recognize the gaps in them. Check if there are scientific expts.
Extremely truthful when you talk about the second part of the book (that you dont have much to say...)
Courageous to admit about your excuse for not reading. You have ended the paragraph with a question, I would avoid it. For a moment, I choose to ignore the rhetoric part to it, and feel bad for all those kids whose parents dont care for their education. Might seem cynical, but we know there are some "bad" parents co-existing.
This is not your fault, it's just that whenever anyone quotes the Gita, my mind goes to your roomate! Likes he owns all the rights of the Gita!
You have mentioned concsious and unconsc, and that reminded me of your previous post where you were talking about 5% concsious and 95% unconscious. Not sure if I misunderstood, but could you explain it more detailed - conscious, pre-conscious, sub and unconsc. I thought 60% was unconsc and rest are others.
Also, you say there should be no ego. I thought ego meant self, and comprised of 3 parts - id, ego and superego. Could you explain that more detailed too?
Author's personal story - AMAZING! and I was able to clearly see that his story got to you.
Nice of you to include Japan's loss here. Even if God takes a little longer, we have Obama to help them! You were absolutely right about Japan not giving excuses. They WILL BE BACK, much better than before..
Thanx so much, the encouragement makes me write more :)
ReplyDelete1. Regarding which of the two is better between think and say vs say and think depends on the people and situations involved. In a conversation involving people who totally understand who I really am, I can choose any of the two, 'cos if there was something bad in what I said(not intentionally though), I dont need to care about it . In a general conversation with someone who doesnt know the basics of me, I would check my thoughts and talk, cos if I unintentionally uttered something, there are all possibilities of a mis-understanding, which is unnecessary. I prefer to practice to think and talk to the first set of people, so it would be easier to follow with the second set. I totally agree with your point, when there is a brain-storming session/group-discussion. You should surely keep saying/writing to get more ideas, which I do as well while am blogging.
2. I agree there are bad parents(infact lots) , but my point is, that doesnt really matter as long as I dont attribute my failures/the way my life is going, to them. No one cares why I'm a failure, the only thing that would stand is that I am a failure.
4. As long as you agree that the sub-conscious thinking dominates the conscious thinking, I am fine, I dont really care of the exact numbers for practical purposes. But if you do, I'll surely research and let you know(from google:).
My understanding of awareness and ego: Awareness is when one knows that he is the soul and ego is when one thinks he is not the soul but the body.
The ego you are referring here looks like a part of Sigmund Freud's own structural model in particular, not sure if it can be applied elsewhere as well.
But this ego topic seems to be very huge(thanx to ur question which made me realise this) and am gonna research and blog on it separately.
I like the way you potrayed the power of the present with a small real life incident of yours.
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
Wow.. good quote from Bhagavat Gita and nice idea to add that here.
Way to go !