Magic Bullet

Dear Smt. Srinivasan:

You are always welcome to interrupt as we learn so much from everyone of your post. Unfortunately, there are no schools to unlearn. Only the company of good people (such as yourself) can teach us to build skill-set we need to unlearn. We can smell from your response, how much you have learned to unlearn.

Viswa

 

Dear Smt. Jayasala:

It is such a coincidence that my son asked the same question yesterday while we went for a walk. Why so many people who are branded not so intelligent, not well educated, face much more difficulties in life than what we face, don't have spiritual practices and don't care about right living, are still very successful in life?

Frankly, I don't know the answer myself and I can only guess the answer until I experience it being in that category. It is my view that the way we are raised is to focus on our education, learn about life from various situations as we grow, get a secured Bank or Government job where job security is high, build wealth after we get married and have children and secure funds for retirement as we get older and don't take any risk financial or otherwise that would endanger family's security. We were trained to have dignity of labor. Frankly, we didn't know the difference between selfishness and self-belief. Under the pretext of being selfless, we lose our self-belief.

When I migrated to the US, the first think I noticed is most Americans are trained to have self-belief whether they are well-educated or not. It comes naturally to them. They have no dignity of labor and get involved in any job to secure their life at a very young age. They educate in areas they are interested in and not for generating cash flow for future security. They communicate well and don't hesitate to talk about them with high esteem. They create multiple income stream for securing their life for which they build multiple skills through their personal experience and risk-taking (not necessarily through formal education). They don't relate education as primary source of wealth creation. They don't create wealth gradually throughout their life but grow wealth when they can afford to do well and when the time is right. They take any amount of risk to try something that they are passionate about because of self-belief. They freely share their ideas with others without any fear of competition. They educate themselves at any point in time of their lives and select the life partners at any point in time they feel comfortable. If the marital relationships don't work, they move on and find another relationship. They have understood the different between selfishness and self-belief.

There are more entrepreneurs who work on their own in this country than people working with private sector and the government. The infrastructure such as roads and transportation, telecommunication, power supply, etc. are abundantly available. The founders of this country invited people from all over the world to join creation of this country into a melting pot through liberal immigration policy. They united them under one flag despite diversity. They developed world class research and development to take the lead in the world and made people believe that they need to be world class whether they involve in sports or entertainment or business. That is how the country became #1 in the economy, military and so on.

However, during the last few decades such principled self belief turned out to be greed to create wealth through whatever means. That created sub-prime market crisis. The financial principles were compromised at various levels resulting in government introducing more regulations. All those values that made this country so successful is being eroded everyday not because of just politicians but also by business men and women. In the last few decades, the top 1% of the people in the US have grown their wealth more than the balance of 99%. Therefore, this country needs leadership that would get back to the basics of how this country was so successful whichever political party they belong. People need to learn to be disciplined on their own without regulations and a large government. They need to focus on growth.

Again to confirm, I really don't know the answer to your question and I am just saying what I had seen through my experience in two countries. I am sure there are many in India who have developed such skills to be on their own and generate wealth whether they have formal education or not based on sheer self-belief. They have complete confidence in their mind and empowered it totally. But if you ask me whether they have achieved peace, my answer is I am not sure. That is why many Americans look for visiting India and many other countries where Buddhism was founded to learn how to achieve peace.

Please forgive me for my long answer.

Viswa

 

Dear Smt. Srinivasan:

Well said. Of course, the peace of mind can't be bought like a commodity and no amount of money can buy peace. That is why many Americans seek peace in Eastern countries and sometimes end up spending their entire life seeking and or enjoying peace. Calmness to the mind comes from stopping the chatter, eliminating judging others and other qualities such as desires, anger, greed and hatred and fill it with equanimity. When it is added with self-belief, it works wonders.

Viswa

 

@SCSusila

In fact, I believe, the grace is in the form of giving an opportunity to be born. Every time we are born, it is by the grace of the Lord to fix our issues. As taught by learned Sages, we are born to learn not to be born again. We function every second with the grace of the Lord. What we lack is the effort to achieve peace and bliss. Many like me learn the teachings of Maharishis and Sages but don't know how to put their teachings into practice. Many times, it is lack of understanding and lack of experience. The information is out there for people like me to grab.

If we make one step towards achieving peace, the Lord will take 100 steps to help us achieve peace. If we are the spark of the divine, the Lord is longing for us to succeed. It is our effort that takes time. We ask wrong things to the Lord instead of asking for what the Lord believes what is best for us.

Viswa

 

Dear Vani,

Thank you for your response. Our Guru says, "Not a blade of grass moves without the will of God". Our free will is a tool that is given to us either to indulge in the world of desires and attachments or fix our own character in a way we get closer to the Creator. Consciousness will be a silent spectator if the free will decides to take a step in either direction knowing that Law of Karma will support with effect for every cause.

Rev. Berg in his book, "Nano Technology of the Mind over Matter" has already talked about Proton, Neutron and Electron. He quoted Old Testaments to prove his point. When the Lord wanted to feel how to love and be loved, He replicated Himself by creating other lives. Initially, the vessel He created didn't separate as it had the same quality as the Lord and reunited with the Lord. Therefore, he created three vessels called Proton, Neutron and Electron. He considers Proton as close to the Lord qualities filled with energy but with no desires and hence not wanting to receive the grace of the Lord, Electron being a fully indulged in the world, is willing to received the grace of the Lord and Neutron is willing to receive the grace of the Lord in order to help the Electron. He also said the Hindu Scriptures consider them as Satwa, Tamosic and Rajasic qualities.

I know all intentions are good when people say "May his/her soul rest in peace". But when we think deep we notice that the Soul being an observer is always in peace. If we eliminate the encryption (Vasanas) in it, it becomes free from bondage/ignorance so that it can escape the cycle of birth/death. From Adi Shankara to all other sages after that have been teaching that Advaita philosophy for time immemorial.

Once we have the firm resolve that "I am pure consciousness", every other peripheral thing will become immaterial. Knowing what is our true identity is important. In real life, we have an identify of our own (Body) and others have different identity (Mind) for us and who we really are pure Consciousness. This is filled with love and hence gives us complete peace and bliss. It is also filled with knowledge that all of us are one and what appears as many is Maya.

It is like walking towards or walking away from the Sun. When we walk towards the Sun, our shadow is behind us and when we walk away from the Sun, our shadow is in front of us. The same way if our senses and mind are in front of us, we should know that we are walking away from the Source of energy and if they are behind us, we are walking towards it.

Viswa