When Time Stands Still

Hindu mythology of creation talks about how the Universe is created each time the Creator Brahma blinks!

Sages of ancient India measured time through the concept of kshana. Kshana is not chronological time. It was not measured as the amplitude of a pendulum or the frequency of an electronic chip. Kshana was not generic time, but individual time. Kshana is the time between two thoughts. My kshana and your kshana are different.

In the case of the average person, in whom the mind is constantly active, desires and thoughts pour out without a stop, the time between two thoughts is very small, very very small. In the case of an enlightened being, who is a no mind state, in whom there are no thoughts, kshana is infinite.

Kshana is the time between two thoughts. It is the space between two thoughts. This is the time and space that Buddha referred to as sunya, and that which Sankara referred to as purna. It is the no mind zone, the mindful zone, in which you touch base with yourself.

Kshana is that present moment in which you come face to face with the divinity within yourself, recognize the cosmic energy that you are part of.

When you are in that kshana, you are truly aware; you are energized and refreshed. Meditation takes you into that awareness.

When you are in front of an enlightened Master who is in a no mind state without thoughts your own thought level comes down, and kshana becomes longer. Without even trying you become calmer, more peaceful, and more aware.

The same experience occurs when you are in the energy field of an enlightened master who is no longer in body, as in a Jiva Samadhi, where the master’s body has been buried. Many of our great temples such as Tirupati, Tiruvannamalai, Mantralaya and Palani are built around the burial spots of enlightened masters and that is the reason why we feel the sanctity and peace giving properties of these locations.

Contrary to what Western philosophers say the idle mind, if it silent, is not the devil’s workshop. It is God’s workshop! It is the busy mind that is truly the devil’s workshop.

Descartes said, ‘I think, therefore I am’. That is a mere fact; an irrelevant one. Vedanta says, ‘When you stop thinking, you are.’ This is truth; the cosmic truth.

Be still and you will be God.

Heaven is now, don’t lose it!

As we go through our daily life, we expect better things to come our way. We dream that when that better thing, or person, or event comes along, we will renounce all our old habits and possessions and move on.

Some people take this foolishness to great heights. Let us say one is tempted to consume alcoholic drinks. That person may suppress that desire feeling that drinking alcohol is a sin and that it would lead him to hell. He believes that if he stops taking alcohol on earth he will ascend into heaven. He will then be entitled to his share of the divine nectar of gods. Based on what we have been led to believe will happen after our death, many of us lead our lives today.

Even as we lead our life on earth, facing its everyday challenges, we are constantly worrying about what will happen after we die. We think that by suppression of our desires, through some form of penance, we shall get a better after life.

I say to such people: ‘Don’t be foolish. Who can tell us if the drink in heaven is better than on earth? Who knows that? Who knows if we will get a drink in heaven at all? And who can say if it is of the same quality or quantity?’

Please understand that I am not encouraging you to drink. I am asking you to examine your intentions.

This is the state of our life. We lead our lives expecting something better to come from somewhere, sometime, and through someone. The simplest and most profound problem this habit brings is that it stops us from living in the present. It completely obliterates our living here, now, upon earth.

We are setting ourselves up for a life of disappointment and stress. We think that we are going to get something better elsewhere. We keep hoping that an event of great significance will happen in a place far removed from where we are.

Drop these thoughts. Don’t suppress what you wish to do now with the anticipation of getting something better, something more, elsewhere. If we believe that we are giving up something for a better thing, or exchange it for more than what we had, we are merely speculating.

Instead, let us enjoy what we have now without worrying about what may happen in the distant future. Let us cultivate the practice of living in the here and now. Let us remain in the present. When we are totally in the present moment, it expands filling itself with endless possibilities. Living in present keeps us in Bliss, Nithyanandam.

The Cosmic Mother

The Vedic rishis have created different kinds of techniques, methods and paths to connect with the Cosmic Consciousness/Cosmic Energy. I can say the sweetest, most authentic and beautiful path for connecting to the Divine is Maatru Bhava, as a mother.

Our Masters have done so much research in the inner world that they have created millions of paths. The variety of Gods in Hinduism reflects this abundant research and development in the inner world. In the West there had been tremendous energy spent in the research and development in the outer world. Our Masters have so much of thirst for inner fulfillment and ultimate experience. The Vedic tradition offers millions of paths to achieve the ultimate experience.

The path of relating with Existence in the form of mother is such a sweet divine path, I can say that this is the easiest path and straightaway you can start connecting. Everyone can connect. Even if you have not lived with your mother, you will carry the feeling, the beautiful memory or the idea of mother child relationship.

Even if you have never lived with your mother, you would have enough ideas about mother-child relationship. We can connect with the Divine in the form of mother and child relationship. This is called as Maatru Bhava in Sanskrit.

The first strong relationship any human experiences is mother. This is the first strong relationship and stays forever. Turning these samskaras, that relationship, that mood towards the ultimate is the Maatru Bhava, connecting with the ultimate by relationship as a mother.

There are so many other bhavas such as dasa bhava, maatru bhava, vatsalya bhava etc.But the maatru bhava is such a powerful method. It is the complete path. It can lead you to the enlightenment or the ultimate experience by itself. So first enter into the Maatru Bhava. Then whatever you chant, whatever you do, will take you to the deeper and deeper spaces where you can experience the true divine energy, the true mother energy.

You have 3 levels of mother. One is the physical mother who gave you the body. The second is the mothers of your mental set-up. The mental set-up you carry is given to you by many like your friends and family. Ultimately, the mother of your being, Parashakti and the Master lead you towards enlightenment.

The Master who leads you to enlightenment and the cosmic energy is your ultimate mother.

First connect with Mother who has given you this body and then you will connect to the mother who has given you the space to sit,energy to see, and above all the energy to celebrate that you exist.

Happiness is here and now

We want to be happy all the time. We worry all the time about being happy. Our obsession with happiness prevents us from being happy. A New York investment banker needed a vacation badly. His psychiatrist recommended that he take a break or he will break down. The banker went to a fishing spot in a remote mountain location. He bought himself the best of designer fishing clothes and gear including designer bait. He went to a spot recommended by his resort concierge. As he relaxed with his fishing rod in his hand and a pipe in his mouth, he saw a local old man settling down some distance away. The banker struggled to catch a fish. But, the old man was reeling them in at regular intervals and releasing them back into the river.

The old man saw the perplexed look of the banker. He cheerily invited him over to where he sat and showed him where the fish were. The banker was very impressed and asked the old man what he did for a living. The old man replied that he did nothing. He just fished and relaxed. The banker was incredulous. He told the old man all the things he was missing in life by not being a professional, like him, in the great city.

The old man asked the banker: what are your plans for future? The banker said: I will make lots of money, marry, and have children.

What comes after that? asked the old man. Oh, I shall relax and spend all my time fishing, the banker said. Can’t you see that’s what I’m doing now, the old man responded, why do I need to struggle like you.

We all have a long laundry list of worries. We have them all our lives. Can we predict what will bring us joy and when? It is very difficult for us to predict when we are likely to be happy. On the other hand, it is very easy for us to say when we shall be worried, which is almost all the time.

We worry when we have no money. We also worry when we have money. We worry if we have no children; we also worry when we have children. Our wealth and children are quite often the cause of many of our problems. Our worries multiply when our children emulate us.

Worry follows desires just as night follows day. Just as desires have no end, worries too are endless. Do these worries have a purpose? No. We forget to enjoy our life now. We never get to enjoy life later. Either we enjoy it here and now, or never. Find happiness being in the present. Be conscious, completely aware of what is happening at the moment. Be happy with whatever you do. Happiness will be yours to keep.