[nukkad] Thinking It Through, You Can Be Happy

["Hiroo Pardasani" <>]

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 I  have copy-pasted this article from Times of India web-site. .....

By ANIL K RAJVANSHI

A young boy went to a guru and asked him how he could find God. The guru
realised that the boy had spiritual leanings but was far too young to be
educated in the abstract knowledge of the Vedas and the Upanishads. He asked
the boy who he loved the most. The boy replied: "My calf. I play with him
all the time. He is my companion". The guru asked the boy to meditate on the
calf.

After a few months when the guru went to meet the young disciple, he found
him crying. "I am losing my mind", he said. "The calf has become so small
that it sits on my palm". The guru advised the disciple to continue
meditating on the calf.

On his next visit the guru found the disciple crying again. "Now the calf
has grown so big that it reaches the sky", he said. The guru asked the boy
to continue meditating.
Several years passed before they met again. This time, the guru saw that his
student had attained happiness - he had reached his destination.

After considerable effort he roused the disciple from his samadhi. On coming
out of his trance the disciple said: "Sir, you, I, the calf, the sky and God
are the same!"
Concentration is the essence of yoga. Focusing your thoughts can produce
tremendous happiness. Religions, preachers and gurus have talked about
happiness and how to achieve it.

Most religions focus on renunciation and the elimination of desire. Some
promise happiness in the after-life. However, attaining happiness in this
life itself is not impossible. Desire is the engine of progress. It should
not be suppressed or removed, but should be sublimated to achieving
happiness.

Concentration on a single thought stimulates or 'tickles' the pituitary
gland and gives you a sense of well being. It is also one of the key
components of happiness. The inability to do so makes the mind fickle and
insecure. Inner peace and security can come only from a calm mind. We need
to train ourselves to focus on positive thoughts. Happiness is a state of
mind. One may have a lot of wealth and resources and still be miserable.

On the other hand, there are people with meagre resources who are happy. One
of the main reasons for unhappiness is greed - greed for power, money and
other resources.
We are constantly striving to play God. We often come close to achieving
this. Our technological innovations could change the very tapestry of
nature. Our mortality and our arrogance demand that we accomplish everything
in this lifetime.

Nature also effects changes, but those changes take place on a geological
time scale. Natural systems remain in equilibrium with their surroundings,
even while evolving. Changes introduced by humans, however, do not allow for
this. That's why we end up disrupting our environment. Greed also causes
conflicts among people.

Today, most of us suffer from short attention spans. Deep thought requires
energy, application and will-power. A short attention span results in low
concentration. If we train our children to read and reflect, it will fuel
their imagination and motivate them to think originally.

A focused person, therefore, has better chances of finding happiness. We all
like to believe that we can change the world. This grandiose desire to
change the world creates a lot of unhappiness. Efforts to reform the world
must begin small.

We need to look at our own attitudes and prejudices before we can think of
changing the world. Our thoughts and attitudes reflect our society and
culture, and are therefore probably the best place to look. We must remember
that all we can really change is ourselves - if we become better human
beings then this world will also become a better place to live in.


Best Wishes.. Have a Nice Day.
Hiroo Pardasani
modpub@vsnl.com
visit: www.modpub.com


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