All Comments By Jagdish P Dave

Accoding to my undersatnding, arriving at enlightenmnt means finding my true nature of mind, the basic ground of reality in progress. True nature of mind is emptiness-empty of craving and clinging, free from judging mind, free from selfishness and self-will, free of all my projections. Such a pure mind is replte with wisdom, joy, compassion, peace and enlightenment. I remember a story in which a Zen master was asked a question "What is Enlighenment?" To which the Zen master responded: "I drink water when I am thirsty. I eat food when I am hungry. I sleep when I am tired." When our attachment to material and spiritaul strivings and struggles ceases, our mind gets deep joy and peace. We are free. We are Enlightened In my spiritual journey I have been learning that the true inner freedom arises not by sruggling to achive freedom, joy, peace, compassion and enlighenment but by sitting down letting go of my cravings and attachments. I put in action three words in my daily journey of spiritual life: Mindfulness, Awakening and Meditation. Applying these these three spirtual values in my everyday transactions helps me reconcile not striving with other dictums of continuous improvement. Namate! Jagdish P Dave

According to my understanding mercy is one the most outstanding spiritual virtues. Mercy is diiferent from fogiveness. When sombody does something wrong to me I forgive that person. I do not counteract and I do not hold onto it. I let go. In mercy I act and and offer my helping hands to help the person with kindness in my heart. Mercy involes forgiveness but it goes byond forgiveness. Mercy has three elements: Paying attention, having empathy, and acting-taking steps to help the person who did somthing wrong. My heart was deeply hurt by somone whom I deeply and passonately loved. She did not show empathy when I was deeply suffering. It was a very painful exprience for me to go through. I needed time to recover and heal. I did not hold on to my pain. I worked on it mindfully. I have let go of my resentment and I am realting to the person who caused pain in me with in a loving and kind way. I feelt peace in me . Showing mercy to onelf and to others heals wounds of oneself and others. Mercy can be cultivated and sustained by emptahy, kindness and compassion and that's how I deal with suffering caused to others by me and by others to me. May we relate to ourselves and others in our life with loving kindness! Jagdish P Dave

Every thought arises in mind. Mind is the birthplace of all kinds thoughts and emotions good, ugly and bad. If I get attached to them and get stuck with them they occupy my clear and empty space. In other words I become possesed by my thouhts and emotions. Thoughts and emotions are ephimeral. They come and go unless I hold on to them adding more and more Karmik patterns and I get bound by such patterns. If I do not hold on to them they will be eventually dissolved. My mind will have emptiness like a clear sky with no clouds. In the empty and clear sky of mind uncondional love and compassion naturally arise giving birth to joy, peace and fufillment. It takes time to wake up depending how long I have been sleeping. Practicing awareness has helped me not to go back to sleep but to remain awake. Practicing mindfulness in everyday life keeps me awake and free from the grip of craving and and grasping. Candid reflctions on getting stuck with self-created bondage helps me make wholesome decisions. This is the way I relate to what Dilgo Khyentse Rinpocha wries about thouhts, Thoughts Are No Thoughts. Namaste! Jagdish P Dave

I relate to the three groups conceptually - the group of people born in harsh and hard conditions that extingwish the phycal spark of their life that lasts for a brief period of life. The second group is enormous composed of people born to survive. The thid group is tiny composed of people who are born to thrive. I have spent many years of my life in the second group and a few years in the third group. Sadly we have been living in this tripartite world for a very very longtime. Attempts have been made to create a better world by people who belive in communism, socialism, democratic socialism, democracy and spiritualism. We need to go the roots of the system of inequality, apathy, injustice and discrimination. Freedom without responsibilty, equality, humanism and spirutual values is not enough. As mentioned before I have spent a great amount of my life time in the second world. I kow how difficult it is to survive. Thankfully, I had parents who taught me how to live with dignity and with empathy and compassion for the down trodden people. Personal experiences, right kind of education, role models, and a strong spiritual foundation have been very helpful to me in investing my time and energy for the welfare of three groups mentioned in this passge authored by Charles Gibbs. Namaste! Jagdish P Dave

We are born with a capacity to love. It is like a seed in the soil. And the seed needs to be watered to grow. When a child is born, that child has an innate capacity to love. The child needs to be nurtured so that the child's innate capacity to love blossoms. I was born in a family inwhich there were four brothers and three sisters. We all looked different and we all have different dispositions, aptitudes and attitudes. We never felt discriminated and were never treated diffrently. We were accepted as we were. Where does love exist? it exists and thrives in our hearts. And like a seed it needs loving kindness, compassion and support from the significant otheres in our family and from the community we live in. Sadly, the world is broken down that us-and-them binary is a part of the work of love. I am cognizant of the binary. I recgnize it without being bound by this divisiveness. I have refused to go along with this mentality and I have cultivated loving kindness in me. This way of thinking and living has enkindled the light of seeing oneness in manyness. Such a way of living fills my herat with courage, compassion and love. At times dicrimination is beaming in my direction because of ignorance and conditioned mindset. I have learned not to wear the clothes that do not belong to them without reacting to other's discriminatory behaviors. May we cultivate seeds of love, courage and compassion for those who throw stones of hatred and discrimination at me. This is what Jesus the Christ and the compassionate Buddha have taught us. Namaste! Jagdiosh P Dave

As I was reading this writing by The Gnostic Writer my mind was fully present with what I was reading. My awareness of being fully present with what I was reading is an example of being here and now. Being here and now is the existential reality. My mind is not split by going to the past or thinking about the future. I am in the awakened mindset. My mind is not hijacked either by the past or the future. My father compared such a here-and-now mindset with clear sky with no clouds. As I am reading this passage my mind is fully present with what I am reading. My mind is not wandering. It is focused. It feels like I am in the flow without any pull or push coming from the past or the future. I am in the fully awakened state of my mind and heart. Not sleeping mentally or dreaming about the future keeps me anchored in the flow of awareness-awareness of here and now. Do I remain in this state all the time? I wish I could. The monkey mind wanders. Mindfulness of the monkey mind brings me back to the flow of here and now. And that is an awakened mind focused on the here and now consciouness. May we all cultiwate skills of mindfulness to be in the here-and-now consciousness! Namaste! Jagdish P Dave .

Facing the unknown with an open mind and an open heart is exciting with a little terpedation and uncertainty of what will be unfolding. Here is the place for unflinching faith. When I place my self in the hands of the unkown and unseen noble forces with faith something will emerge that will heal my emotional scars and will make me whole. Whenever I have felt cracks in my life I have placed myself in the forgiving and saving hands of the Divine Being by letting go of my ego-built house. It has not been easy to let go of my attachments and to let my heart open with the hope and faith in the advent, coming of the liberating hands of the Divine. The unshaken shraddha otr faith dispel my self-created darkness and wakes me up to see the rays of Divine light. What helps me wake up from my slumber of ignorance is faith or shraddha in the everpresent and never forsaking light of the Divinity within me. and all around me. It gets manifested when I become still and open to receive blessings coming from noble beings and noble forces. Such forces help me remain still,awake and focused. Namste! Jagdish P Dave

How do we see ourselves and others in relationship without the psychological lenses of the past and the future, the images of myself and others, is a challenge for realizing love and beauty. If I view myself and others with the blinders of the past and future, there is neither love nor beauty. Love and beauty has no dividing lines within me and without me. I call it pure beauty and pure love or Oneness. And that indeed is the art of living. When I am present in the present moment I expereince Oneness with nature and the people around me and with me. This kind of presence is beyond striving and stuggling. In that way, it is effortless. It is natural. An image of myself and the other is time and space bound. It does not exist beyond time and space. It is bound by time and space. When my mind is still and quiet, I see myself and the other clearly, like the sky without self-created clouds. And that is real freedom from the known, freedom from projections, freedom from the inner shadows. May we have inner clarity and inner freedom to live in the world with love and beauty! Namste! Jagdish P Dave 

There are many faces of love. The most common is conditional love. It has "if" and "then". What Ram Dass is talking about is unconditional love. To put it in Ram Dass's words," It's a part of our inner being. It's love for no reason, love without an object...This is an entrance to Oneness." This is an accurate description of unconditional love. Do I love me unconditionally? Do I love the other unconditionally? When and how? My answer is Yes . All the time? Most of the time. It is a state of being, not having and doing. In Such a state I feel Oneness within me and beyond me. Walls of outward differences melt away and I breathe the pure air of love filling my heart with unbound joy and fulfillment.

My first experience of such unconditional love was with my mother
whose face was shining with unconditional love. As I grew up I often experiencedsuch love when I used to chant with my father. And the same kind of love I experienced with my beloved better half. I still feel the glow of that love though she is no more physically with me. Last night we had a Thanksgiving gathering at my daughter's house. She had put her heart in making preparations for such a joyful thankful event. She radiated the light of unconditional love. My grandson saw the tired face his mother. He left the company of his friends and went to the sink to clean pots and pans joyfully. Such acts of love and kindness divinize our daily living.

Keeping my heart open for giving and receiving unconditional love, and being grateful for such divine gifts helps me to stay on the path of Being.
Namaste.
Jagdish P Dave




What helps me

We all break precious items and we may feel anger, hurt, regret and despair. We create scars in us and in others. How do we deal with the broken parts of ourselves? Do we boil with anger or accept the scars and heal them? Do we hold on to the scars or let them go? I like to work on the wounds with a kind, compassionate and creative approach. I learn from the broken bowl of life. I repair it, protect it, and restore its wholeness. Dreams of life get broken. Relationships get broken. I believe in restoring it with loving and kind awareness. Suffering opens the door of healing.
During my relatively long life my bowl of life has been broken. My heart has been wounded. I wentthrough a depressive cycle. I felthopeless. The tender touch of my mother's loving hands brought life back to my life. Enkindled the light of hope. Helped me bounce back to the path of hope and lifted me from the pit of despair and misery. I leaned the power of resilience.
Life is like a web with different colors and shapes. As I have mentioned before the web of life gets entangled and I feel caught up and tied. I have learned how to untangle my web by awareness and compassion. The entanglementhelped me realize my own inner strength and taught me how to create a flow in my life. Life teaches lessons. We need to be good learners.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

I believe in telling the truth and living the truth. I believe truth liberates us from the prison of manipulations. But it is not easy to tell the truth and live by the truth. It causes pain and suffering. It is hard but hardship is a pathway to truth. It involves letting go of the darkness of lies and manipulations. It requires sacrifice of self-serving orientation. But I believe that is the right thing to do. I do not want to buildcastles of falsehood of lies in the air and live in them. Living in such castles may bring temporary illusory pleasures but it causes deep pit halls.

Choosing the right path and following is not always easy. I know what's the right thing to do but may not do it. I know what is the wrong thing to do but I may do it. Following the right path is not easy. It may involve losing. it requires courage to follow it. In the path of my life journey I have at times follow the wrong path and have gone through suffering. I have blamed others for causing my suffering. From my sufferings I have learned lessons of walking on the right path.

Whathas helped me from causingharm to me and to othersis self-awareness. Recognizing the existence of suffering, the causes of suffering, and knowing how to be free from them has helped me to walk on the right path. When I go on the wrong path and suffer, I compassionately relate to it and begin to walk on the right path. There is a saying in Sanskrit my spiritual tradition: Satyameva jayate,
nanrutam. Truth trimphs, not lie. And that is my expareince.
Namste!
Jagdsih P Dave

To live fully in the present moment without dwelling in the past or worry about the future is a wise way of living. Be here and now is the enlightened way of living. Going with the flow of life and not flowing against it the way living life fully. When I engage myself in any activity I get fully absorbed in it. My mind is not drifting but is fully rooted in the present moment. This way of living my daily life is a blessing for me. I complete my assignment fully and thatway I do not get an incomplete grade. I love the way Rosie Bell puts it. We become "so lost in a plan for the future that I forget to crawl into the beautiful, imperfect present and make the most of it.This is the way I relate to Conscious Completion. Living each moment fully is the way of living with unburdened freedom from space and time. These are of the "moments of the giant miracles."

When I meditate I feel the presence of conscious completion. When I listen to chanting, relate to nature and be with someone I deeply love I feel the presence of the flow of consciousness. When my mind is distracted I crawl into the present.

Self-awareness is the master key for me for entering in the house of conscious completion.The light of awareness brings me back to the path of living fully in the present moment. Living this way requires conscious determination, patience, perseverance, compassion and devotion. Such way of living creates giant miracles in living.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

We are social beings. Our life is connected with each other. We are all in secret kinship with each other. However, we may not always recognize it. It is like an underground stream which nourishes the tree of our life,quenches our thirst for an in-between connectedness. There have been times when I have felt disconnected with me and with others, when I felt lonely and depressed. At such time what helped me was empathic and kind words and actions from people who cared for me, who felt compassion for me and extended their helping hands to me. And there have been times when I felt theirpainand I have extendedmy hands to them. Such experiences have deepened and enriched our relationships.

I was raised in a relatively poor family. There were times when we did not have enough food to eat. There were kind neighborswho felt for us and showed theirlove and kindness byextending their helping hands. They embodied the teaching of Jesus Christ: Love thy neighbor like thyself. All such experienceshave enriched my life. And I feel deep gratitude for them.These are precious lessons I have learned in my life. They have taught me how to extend my helping hands when someone is going throughhard times. It is by giving we receive as Saint Francis of Assisi taught us. Renounce and rejoice as the ancient book of wisdom Ishavasya Upanishadataught us.

Being honest and open, being empathic and compassionate, serving others when they need my help, asking for help when I need it and being grateful to them for their kindnesshelps me to stay on the path. Receiving and giving are the two wings of the bird of life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

Self-compassion is kindness to ourselves. We all go through suffering and delightfulness.. There are two ways of relating to our suffering and joyfulness: accepting our joys and sorrows compassionately without comparing ourselves with others and that way feeling up and down. There are two components of compassion: self-empathy and self-kindness. As we all know that we are not perfect. Whenwe compare ourselveswith others and feel higher or lower than others we get disconnected with ourselves and others. Such a perspective causes disconnection, separation and isolation.

When I was studyingat the University of Chicago my self-esteem was somewhat wounded when I compared myself with other students who were brighter than me. I felt a sense of inferiority. My self-esteem was affected by what was going on in my mind, thoughts of not-good enough. When I developed friendship with aforeign studentwho felt compassion for me. I felt his empathic understanding and kindness for me. His compassion for me enkindled the light of self-compassion and self acceptance in me. I am very grateful to him for bringing me out of the dark period of my life.

Whathelps me make space for Self-compassion? I find the idea offered by KristinNeffquite helpful. As she writes, " Instead of endlessly chasing self-esteem, we embrace ourselves with kindness."Being empathic and compassionate to myself is very helpful to me to cultivate self-compassion. Practicing mindfulness meditation and non-judgmental self-awarenesshave been a blessing to me.

May we cultivate self-compassion and compassion for others as we are going through tough times in our life!

The world we live in and also our life has three qualities: tamas, rajas, and sattva.Tamas makes us passive-static, rajas makes us active-dynamic and sattvacreates a balance. When I go to the extremeposition I become lethargic and lazy, and go into deep slumber. When I take an extremedynamicor action-oriented position I get exhausted. When I avoid extreme positions and take the proverbial Buddhist middlepath I am in a sattvik state, a balanced state. Living in a sattvik state makes me act wisely. I know what to do, how to do, and then do it. Not just to know and think about it. According me this is a sattvikway of living.
I try to follow this sattvikpath of living in every walk of my life. When I talk, when I listen, When I eat, when I sleep, when I work and when I exercise. When I have not followedthis balanced way of living I go through physical, mental, emotional and relational suffering. Suffering is my teacher. I do not hit my head when I suffer and I do not hit the other person'shead for my self-created suffering. I wake up, rise from my downfall , make a U-turn and go back the path of wisdom.
Paying attention to what is going in my mind, becoming aware of it helps me from taking the wrong way which may hurt me and others in my life. I know that it is to say that but difficult to do it. Patience, perseveranceand practice are my best allies. Introspection and meditation are also very helpful to me.Theyshow me the path of light in my journey of life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

Can acceptance and change join hands together? Can light and shadow walk together? Can silence and voice sing together? Acceptance of what is and makingessential changes is a balancing act. Changes do take place. They need to be faced creatively and wisely. Otherwise life doesn't flow. It gets stagnant and stinks. In the dynamic world we live in, both 'fight for change' and 'lead to improve' are necessary. Change needs to make in the the right way in right direction. This is the way I am embracing life. I see the value of both frames of references. I maintain the fluidity of living without getting blocked by 'eitheror' mental stance.
Life has given me many opportunities to learnfrom my personalexperiences. When I experiencepain in my belly I relate to my belly pain mindfully.I recognize it and investigate the cause of my physical pain and learn from it and do not eatpain -causing food. The same way I relate to my relational painI become aware of what happened that triggered my anger, anxiety or despair, accept it and learn from it and put it into practiceto avoid the aches I created in me and the other person my life.
I have learned from my own personal experienceswhat causes light in me and what causes darkness in me. Self-awareness, introspection, courage to recognize my shadow have been very helpful to me to know myself and work on myself. Life presents challenges to face and gives us opportunities for transformation.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

I like the difference between oldindividualsand elders as shown by the author Suzzane Simard. As the author says not all individual are elders nor all elders are old. The marking sign of an elder is wisdom, not just knowledge. People may have knowledge but not wisdom. Wisdom grows like a Mother Tree connecting, nurturingand protecting the young plants. As an elderly and old member of the family and my community I help the young members of my family and the community at large when they need guidance from me. My heart gets richer when I help, guide and nurture those who need help and support.

As I was growing up I needed help, support, empathyand emotional nurturingin my life. I was blessed to have some elderly folks in my life to provide guidance, empathy, love, and nurturing. The elderly people provided shade and support I needed to survive and flourish. They taught me by theirliving example how I can go through the thick and thin in my life. They were my great teachersand they have laid the foundation of living wisely. I am very grateful to them.

My experiencehas the been a great teacherfor me. Only conceptual knowledge is not enough. Deep knowledge comes from living the knowledge, by practicing and wisely applying that knowledge to real life situations.It is organicteaching and organic learning. I have learned thatit is not how long we live but how well we live that matters.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

I like the way Anthony De Mello shows the contrast between WorldlyFeeling and Soul Feeling. Soul feeling arises from within us. is characterizedby joy, intimacy, nourishment, and fulfillment. No body takes away soul feeling from me as it is generated and sustained form within. Worldlyfeeling comes from outside sources such as someonepraising me , admiring me. think highly of me. Such worldly feeling fluctuates as it comes from out side sources. It comes and goes. Self-generated soul feeling is generated from the depth of our being. It endures and gets richer and deeper. It is rooted in our being.

I am a teacher anda counselor I have enduring love affair with teaching and counseling. Teaching and counseling fill the cup of my life. I have been teaching and counseling for the last 75 years. I am not tired, bored and unfulfilled by following my inner voice. When I feel good and great about me by the praise and admiration I receive from others that make me feel good and great, the glorious feeling stays for a while and after sometime it evaporates This week I was invitedas a guest speakerto give a talkat Governors Sate University to undergraduate and gradatestudents majoring in SchoolPsychology. I told them the reason for my being a teacher and a counselor. It has beenmy cup of tea
for all these years.
When I do what I love to do like teaching, counseling and meditating I feel deeply happily. The reward comes from within. It is unending. It is very joyful and fulfilling.I am connected with it and not attached to it. Fulfillment, love and joy are the criteria of soul feeling. Hope and pray we all find our path that creates and sustains inner wealth of joy, excitement and fulfillment in our life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

For me as a human being, all quests-intellectual, ethical, and spiritual- are important. Intellectual quest without being bound by ego is important for thinking and for processing my thoughts and emotions andto understand me, others and the world. Moral or ethicalquest without "oughts" is important for me to walk on the moral path. The spiritual quest is essentialfor knowing and realizing my true nature, who or what I am.. In this state I do not feel bound by my own self-created"altitude". This is the state of unitive consciousness in which otherstates with "attitude"get dissolved. I feel grounded and connected with existence, the "being".

Spiritual practices keep me grounded in what is and relate to what is rather than my own fabrications of the reality. I feel free fom my self-createdprison and self-ignorance. In deep meditation state I experiencethe distance between me and the ground going away and I realize that at the core of our being, we all are one. As the great theologian Paul Tillich says," the ground of being."

It has taken a good amount time to know who I am. Remaining awake when I go into the sleep of delusion and working on what makes me fall asleep has been very helpful to me. The challenge for me is not to go back to "sleep". Self-awareness is the key to stay on "the ground of being." Getting feedback from my own selfand from others is also helpful to me for walking on the spiritual path.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

There have been times when I have been deeply hurt. And there have been times in my life when I have hurt others too. Such experiences have made me realize that we all have the potential to hurtourselves and hurt others close to us. It does not mean we are bad or evil. We do bad or evil things. When I relate to hurt in this sense I feel empathy for me and for others. Such empathic understanding of my own wrongdoings helps me heal my wounds and the wounds I have created to others.

Realizing and accepting the fact that we are human beings prone to doing wrong things and making mistakes. We are not perfect.I hold my wrongdoing hand with empathy and compassion. Being empathic and compassionate to me helps me for my self-redemption and also redemption for the otherperson.
Self-awareness is the guiding light to me and it helps me evolve and grow in the realm of goodness, kindness, love and compassion.
Namste!
JagdishP Dave

Balancing life in all areas of our life is the key to to living wisely. Too much or too littlecan't burn the fire of life. Too much foodot too little food intake has nam impact on our life energy. Hoe much we eat and what kind of food eat has a strong impact not only our physicaland mental health but also on the environmental well-being.Moderation in all areas of our life. Too much of even a good thing, like eating too much good food can create health problems.

Being born and raised in a simple- living family laid the foundation for moderation mi my life. It has taughtme how to to create a balance in different areas of my life. My parents taught me when to talk , what to say,, how to talk and when to be quiet. These are the gifts of life that I have received from my parents and I am very grateful to them for such gifts.

Being mindful of what is going in my mind, talking a pause, and decide what is the right thing to do. It's creating a balance between when to between presence and absence. It is learning when to yes and no. What to take in and what to reject. As I have mentioned before this principle applies in all walks of my life.

May we learn the art of balancing our life for our personal life as well as social life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

In all wisdom traditions that I know of, "Who am I" is the fundamentalquestion raised by spiritual seekers. There are two Selves: Ego-self and the Witnessing -self. The ego-self is a convenient construct to organize all the separate experiences occurring in the mind. I is necessary to relate to the ever-changing world. The challenge thatI face in my dailylife is not to be bound or attached to the world created by the mind. This passage authored by Culadasareminds me of thestory of Two Birds narrated in the ancient bookof wisdom Mandukya Upanishad:"Two birds, inseparable companions, perch on the same tree. One eats the fruit, the other looks on.The first bird is our individual self feeding the pleasures and pains of the deeds. The other is the universal self, silently witnessing all."
To me spiritual growth is a life-long journey with a few ups and downs , pleasures and pains, successes and failures. When my vision is blocked by selfish desires I tumble and I hurt myself and hurt others related to me. Such experienceshave taught to me to beaware of inner mental world and not get bound by my self-serving desires. With mindfulness andself-awareness practice
I have been able to walk on my path without falling down. Like the second bird in the Upanishadic story I relate to the world with witnessing consciousness. This way I live in the world with humilityand gratefulness.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Namaste Angelie. I thank you fro your kind words. I always look forward to getting weekly thought provoking passagesthanks sent by Somik. I learn not only from the weekly passages but also from reflections on the passages by the readers.
Gratefully,
Jagdish Dave'

MullaNasruddin'sbehavior indicates that he had already assumed that his wife Fatima was hard of hearing. On this assumption, he keeps on asking the same question "What are we having for dinner?". The angry tone of his voice was escalating getting louder and louder. He had lost his patience, pushed the door and repeated loudly the same question though he was right there in front of her. He himself behaved as if he was deaf.His misplaced inference made him act foolishly. It was a counterproductive stance. Such a stance caused a lot of headaches and conflicts in close relationships.

I have learned from my personal experiencesto listen to the other person without making inferences in advance about the other person. I have learned not to prejudge the other person's stance but to keep my mind open and receptive. This way I relate to the other person amicably and fruitfully. How do we relate to others who have different philosophies and ideologies without judging them is not always easy but it is worth trying and beneficial.

We all make inferences about other persons in our life. The problem arises when we prejudge them with a closed mind. As we know inferences and prejudgments are born in our mind and we remain stuck with them if we do not examine them and change them for our good and good of others in our life. I usually ask four questions in communicatingwith the other person: What do I want to communicate? How do I communicate? When do I communicate? And where do I communicate? Such questions help me to be engaged with the other person constructively and creatively.
May we cultivate the art of listening and responding to others in our life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

I appreciate this essay on Four B's of Resilience and Strength authored by Dr. Soul Levine. The application of the four B's-Being(personal), Belonging(social), Believing(Ethical/Spiritual), and Benevolence(a sense of awareness of kindness and generosity) in our daily life.Practicing these four B's in my everyday life I feel myself like a whole person physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially. This way of living has been the foundation of my everyday life. Or like the author says they are the "foundation of our emotional footprint".

My sense of self-worth is shaped and sustained by implementing the four B's in my everyday life. I know I a'm not perfect. Being aware of my faults and limitations and working on my short comings kindlyand compassionatelyhelps me walk on the path of living spiritually.

Self-examination, self-awareness, alertness and vigilance, owning wrong doing,patience, forgiving and correcting are the ingredients of my living a joyful and meaningfullife.
May I remain awake and implement the Four B's in my daily living!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Silent awareness or witness consciousness is as J Krishnamurti says is"choiceless awareness", or emptiness or suchnessor isness as the Buddha says. Silent awareness is stillness in the mind. In such stillness bodily sensations ariseand go, thoughts arise and go, emotions arise and go.

I experience such silent awareness when I am fully absorbed in doing what I am doing such as reading, listening to music, and meditating. In such experiencesthe observer and the observed become one. The wave becomes the ocean. It is a spiritual union.

What is freedom? Freedom from whom or what? When the subject-object dividing line is dissolved it is an experience of oneness. In such unitive consciousness there is an experience of oneness, the Divine Union. To put it in Non-dual Vedanticterm, it is Self-realization.

Namste!
Jagdish P Dave

An "answer" is definitive with no openness.It has no room for an open endeddiscussion and a dialogue. A responseis an invitation with an open mind and humility for self-examination. A response has an empathic and open-minded understanding of different perspectives instead of close-minded authoritarian stance: My way is the only right way and there is no other away of addressing and working on personal, interpersonal and collective questions and challenges.

Morality is one of the core elements of personal, interpersonal and social well-being. The question is how am I relating to morality in my personal, interpersonal, and social life? Am I relating to morality in a ferocious and arrogant way or with empathy, humility and tenderness? I maintain a balance between being genuine and empathic, candid and kind.This is the way I practice morality in my personal and interpersonal life. There are times when I lose this dynamic balanceand judge myself and otherssomewhat harshly. Such experiences have made me realize that I am fallible and others too.We are not perfect. It is a learning process. We learn from our mistakes, forgive us and maintain the balance.

Light of awareness, practicing mindfulness, maintainingthe balance between moral ferocity and humility and tenderness have been my helping companions.
May we cultivate a balance between moral ferocity and humilityand tenderness.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

As I understand, desire or greed of stealingor non-stealing is born in our mind. When I am aware of what is happening in my mind, my desire or greed for getting something that does not belong to me, I consciously refrain from that selfish grip and move into the non-stealing zone. Non-stealing means being open, honest, free, and truthful with myself and following the inner voice of wisdom. My self-awareness and non-selfish actions keep me rooted in non-stealing state of my consciousness. This process of self-awareness, knowing Asteya, and followingTruth,is an ongoing spiritual journey to me.

Non-judgementalself-awareness, thoughtfulness and humbleness help me walk on this spiritual path. I take time to learn from wisdom traditions, discuss spiritual teachings with like-minded people andembodythe knowingin my life. I have cultivated the attitudeof being patient and persistent in my journey of life. Regular practice of mindfulness meditation helps my mind to be quiet and clear. These practices have been interwoven in my daily life. We call it Sadhana, a spiritual way of living in the world..

May we stay on this path of inner freedom, enlightenment for realizing the Truth, Fulfillment, and Peace!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

No sane person will deny that things and we as sentient human beings are going to die one day. Seeing somebody dying or knowing that someday I will also die makes me realize that we all have a common thread running through outward differences and we all are interrelated.Death does not treat people differently. The merciless light of death shins on us all. Realizing this merciless truth awakens us to the underlying reality of oneness. Such realization makes us less afraid of outward differences.

Chance, our dog, has been with us for the last 15 years. He has been having severe seizures for a couple of months. He has brain tumor. Seeing him going through the suffering is sadly very painfulto us in our family.Sadly but necessarily we have decided to let him go. Tomorrow the veteran is going to give him heavy sedation to let him die peacefully. The merciless light of death helps us remain awake and aware of the profundity of life. Death is a lighthouse that keeps me awake and aware of how to live fully and spiritually. When I will die is beyond my handsbut how do I live is within my hands.

Self-awareness is the inner light that keeps me awake amd mindful of the transitory nature of life. The wise teachings of the Buddha about the nature of the worldly life has been very helpful to me. The worldly life is continuously changing-anityam, anityam, sarvam anityam. It is also momentary-ksanikam, ksanikam, sarvam ksanikam. Such awakening helps mevalue each moment of life and cherish it and be grateful for it. I keepthe light of awarenessshining to see things as they are.
Namste!
Jagdish P Dave'

I feel deeply grateful to Brother David Steindl-Rastfor giving the great gift of passage. I consider offering this thought provoking passage itself a great gift of passage. It has the three intertwined core concepts of grateful living:: I recognize, I acknowledge, I am grateful. These three concepts create a steady and strong foundation for going through passages of life. Living this way I feel the unity within me and between people in my life regardless of apparent differences like Brother David says unity in multiplicity, oneness in manyness, where giving becomes receiving and receiving becomes giving, an experience of oneness.To me this is living spiritually, living inpure heart and relating to others from pure heart. And this an ongoing journey that creates loving joy and deep fulfillment.
I have been blessed to have many people in my family and many others out of my family who take care of me lovingly regardless of age, gender, nationality and religion. It feels like living in a spiritual community or an ashram. Such experiences happen not on Thanksgiving Day. Everyday becomes a Thanksgiving Day.
As I have mentioned before life is a spiritual journey. In my journey of life there have been times when I have stepped out of the spiritual path and I have hurt me and some people close to me. Recognizing and acknowledgingmy wrong doing and learning from such experiences has always helped me. Practicing Mindfulness Meditation regularly and living mindfully and relating to others unselfishly and compassionately also reinforces my spiritual way of living.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

I appreciate the passage Heart Is Not About Emotions authored by Cynthia Bourgealt. According my understanding there are three kinds of perceptibility; mental, emotional, and spiritual. Mental and emotional perceptibilitieshave limitations of their own. Thoughts and emotions change and our perception of reality changes. Our perception is bound by thoughts and emotions and by space and time limitations. Spirituality is not bound by the inner changes of thoughts and emotions and by space and time. It is beyond mental and emotional perceptions. In the culture I was born and raised the heart is considered the abode of devotion or Bhakti. In Bhakti Yoga there is pure love and devotion for the Divine beloved. It is unchanging, profound and beyond space and time limitations.

I experience such DivineRelationship with nature and with my family and friends and even with strangers when my mind is quiet and clear and my heart is filled with unconditional love. In such moments i feel deeply connected and sense the feeling of oneness. This is an example of a deeper spiritual perception.

Regular practice of mindfulness meditation and loving Kindness-meta- meditationand remaining mindful of my thoughts, feelings, emotionsand my actions help me walk on this path of spiritual living. Listening to devotional songs and serving others selflessly are very helpful to me abide in my heart. This the way I relate to the author's wise words " Heart Is Not About Emotions."
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Finding a balance between two extremes is a virtueby itself. In Buddhism it is called the middle path. In Yoga it is called equanimity-Yogahasmattvam uchyate. I use these words of wisdom in almost all walks of life such as eating, working, sleeping, talking and resting and thinking. Following the middle path helps me avoid the vices of deficiency and access. As Adam Grant says," If you want to be resilient, find the right amount of generosity and authenticityand grit." Or to put it differently to find "virtue in balance."

Once one of our friends invited us to celebrate his birthday. It was a wonderful gathering with lots of delicious vegetarianfood items and different kinds of fruit juices. Normally I am careful about what and how much I put into my belly. That day I forgot to eat in moderation. And I paid a heavy price for my indulgence. That was a good lesson for mefor walking and staying on the middle path.

I apply mindfulness in all walks of life. Awareness and alertness of what is going on in my body, mind, emotions and my actions and remaining alert about my actions helps me act wisely. Overdoing as well as under-doing have an adverse effect on the flow of my energy. I have learned how to live a balanced life and that's a blessing.
Namste!
Jagdish P Dave'

When I am fully engaged in what I am doing I feel oneness within me and without me. The line of separationfades away and I feel oneness between the inner and the outer world. The difference between doing and being, having and being slips away. This happens when my mind is calm, clear, and pure. I feel oneness within and without, between the outer and the inner world. It is a non-dualistic experience.

Six of the members of our family were on a pilgrimage to Amarnath, a five thousandshigh peak on the Himalayas.The sun was setting. The sky was clear. There was deep silence. All of us felt the oneness between the outer world and the inner world. It was an unforgettable experience. In deep meditative state I experience such oneness between the inner world and the outer world. I just become a swinging door as ShunryuSuzuki puts it.

To be true to oneself, to be truly oneself, requires consistent trainingof my mind. When my mind gets divided between the inner world and the outer world, I become aware of the truth of oneness of the soul. We all are one
The dualistic mind becomes non-dualistic. The individual self becomes the universal self. When I do selfless service I feel the fullness of living. To me life is a spiritual journey and I need to remain awake if and when I deviate from my spiritual path.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Who am I? What am I? Who is me? What is me? These are important questions about my true and authentic identity. It means taking ownership of me. Ownership of my mind-thoughts and ideas; ownership of my feelings and emotions; ownership of my actions; ownership of my triumphs and failures; ownership of my whole self. I do not hide myself from my own self and also from others. This is Me. When I accept myself as I am I amfree toengineer me; to change me.

Taking ownership of me frees me frommy socially,culturally, and religiously conditioned self. I loved and married the love of my life born and raised in a different caste, class and religion. Both of us followed our inner voice and faced all kinds of challenges together and grew by going through them. Authentic self creates and sustains authentic and flourishingrelationships.

Life presents challenges and puzzles. How do I face them makes a big difference in my life. If I close my eyes to the challenges and puzzles or deny them, I stifle
my own growth and development. I recognize my puzzles. I own my puzzles. I have learned to remain grounded and rooted like atree and derive strength from my authenticself. Relating to challenges and puzzles cultivates strength and courage in me and I do not get uprooted bychallenges and difficulties.
I conclude my reflectionsby quotingVirginia Satire's last line of her poem: "I am Me and I am Okay."
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

There are many reasons I have for working. One of the reasons is for survival and for meeting my and my family's basic needs. There is something more than justsurviving.My core values are fulfillment, deep contentment and joy. I am clear about my purpose and intention for working hard. I engage my energy fully not only to meet my needs and aspirations and my welfare. I also devote my energy for serving others selflessly. This is my way of living spiritually.

I discovered my path of living fully by going through some hard and painful times in my life. I learned valuable lessons from my pain. My pain helped me understand pain of others empathically. My mother used to sing a song thatconveys the way we learn empathy for others. It is by going though our own painmindfullywe can understand the pain of others and cultivate empathy and compassion. The good news is that we are wired for empathy and compassion. Like any other skills we can cultivateempathyand compassion for ourselves and for others.

When I live mindfully I do not have any regrets or remorse for not living fully. Living life mindfully and fully is dying empty. Fullness is emptiness. This is a paradoxical truth.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

The fist sentence of thispassage by Jack Kornfield says it all. "In spiritual life, what matters is simple:We make it certain that our path is connected with our heart. Our spiritual journeyis a journey of caring, love and kindness. It is important to pay our attention when our heart is focused on the core values of our life. Whatwe do is in alignment with our core spiritual values such as kindness, compassion and caring.The three questionsstated by the author are very pertinent for living a spiritual life. " Did I love well?" "Dis I live fully? "Did I learn to let go"
My mother was illiterate. She lived a very simple life. Her hear was full of love
and compassion.She used to say in my mother tongue. When you feed someone who is hungry your heart is filled with abundance and grace. My friends used to come to visit me. They always said to me thatwhatever simple food she my mother made tasted more sweetthan the food they ate their house.. It was the sweetness of her heart that made foodvery sweet. She taught me how to live spiritually.

When I serve others from my heart I feel fulfilled and very happy. The lesson I learned from my mother has beena guiding star for me. She taught me a lesson of how to live fully. She showed methe path with heart.

To me spirituality means relating to life with an open mind and an open heart.It meansfacing life with non-judgmentalawareness. In order to be free from my suffering I need to go through it with compassion. I pay my kind attention to my own suffering without being carried away by distractions. I follow the same way when I relate to someone going through hard times. This is the way we evolve to thrive personally, interpersonally and collectively.
Spiritual evolution tales time. Having someone as a model in spiritual journey has been very helpful to me. In my culture such a person is called a guru. I was blessed to have my parents as my gurus. They not only believedin simple and humble living but they lived that way. Mahatma Gandhi also was model for my father and for me. Seeing people living modestly and humbly and learning from them provided a basis for my spiritual evolution. I am very grateful to them.
Spiritual evolution is an inner work. Reading books and articles like this onewritten by Jack Kornfleld, having a satsangawith like minded people, Introspection, meditation, and practicing mindfulness have been very helpful to me in my spiritual journey, It is a way of living.
Namaste.
Jagdish P Dave

As I understand meditation is not avoiding distractions but mindfully facing them, processing them with compassion, courage, and commitment. Meditation is not chasing the shadows of pleasure and fantasies to use the word od Jason Garner "parables",but facing pain and suffering. It means not looking away or seeking distractions. It is by facing clouds of suffering compassionatelythatwe we can see the light clearly.
Life gives many opportunities to us for mindfully working on our sufferings. It's a question of turning our face towards sufferings or turning our face away from sufferings. It is easy to turn my face away form all kinds of pain and suffering rather than facing them fairly and squarely. I have used avoidance technique instead of facing them. I have learned from my personal experience that aversion and avoidance do not work for me. I have learned to hear the music though it could be painful. By following thispath I have been able to reduce the noise of music and have been able to listen to the harmony of music. This is a shift from avoidance to embrace.
It is not easy to make such a shift. Old habits die slowly. Recognizing what is going on in my mind and heart compassionately and non-judgmentally is the first step towards transformation. The second step is patience and perseverance. And the third step is my daily practice of mindfulness meditation.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

We all need a steady, rooted, poised and balanced placeto stand otherwise the winds of pain and suffering may uproot the tree of our life. All wisdom traditions strongly emphasizethe significance of contemplation and meditation to work on our inner world and the need to be connected with the outer world of suffering and pain. In order to be whole and fully functioning persons we need to create a balance and rootedness within ourselves.

I had attended one month retreat for mindfulness meditation and deep contemplation. That was a transformative experience for me. I felt profoundly centered, calm and rooted. I felt at home with me and with others in the retreat.This experience fostered a deep sense ofempathy and compassion in me for others. It was a powerful transformative experience for me.

Daily practice of mindfulness meditation and self-introspectionhelpme to maintain a balanced and wholesome connectionbetweenmy inner world and outer world, between my "private room" and my "public room."
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

This beautiful poem written by AryaeCoopersmithreminds me of a poem I had read a long time ago. It is written in Gujarati, my mother tongue. Who came this morning to wake me up from my deep sleep? The unexpectedvoice startled me and made me realize that I have been walking on the same old path of my life. No wonder why I felt stale and tired and bored. The fresh voice coming from within me made me realize that I was caught up in the habitual nest that I myself had created for quite some time. I was listening to the same oldstory and was singing the same old song.The voice woke ne up and I am eager to listen to a new unexpected voice. I feel asense of thrilling and wonderment and curiosity to hear and see what is coming.
A few days ago my daughter, a guest and myself were invited for a dinner at our friends house. I had been to their house three yearsago. Maya, the three years old whom I had seen as little girl was eagerly waiting for me to greet me. In the beginning she was shy. After a while she she sat beside me with her curious eyes. It was a joyful and beautiful experiencefor me. She was eager to show us her favorite jasmine plant. She gently plucked a few fragrant jasmine flowers for me.As we were leaving she offered me a necklace of different colors of beads she had made for me. This was totally unexpected. The fragrance of her gift will always stay in my heart.
Life offers many unexpected gifts if we keep the portal of our heart open and surprisingly receive them. I keep my mind and heart open to receive unexpected gifts. They are sacred gifts and I am ready to run with the unexpected and unknown gifts coming on my way.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

I love and deeply enjoy reading the writings of ThichNhat Hanh. In this beautiful passage he conveys a profound messageof relating to what is real. In order to hear what is not said and in order to see what is not manifested requires waiting with patience, open mindedness, open heartedness and conviction that what is not heard and what is not seen is real. As Thich Naht Hanhsaysploughingtheearth,sowing the seeds, and spreading the manure are essential conditions for the blooming of the sun flower.

The birth of a poem is like the latent seed turning into a blossoming flower. I feel my heart stirred up with deep feeling of wonder and joy before a poem is born. It is like hearing the sound and feeling the fragrance of a beloved coming from nowhere! I felt the same way when I felt a deep stirring of love in my heart when I saw my beloved for the for firsttime and I still feel the fragrance of love in my heart though she is not physically with me any more.

What helps me see that which is waiting for the right conditions to bloom? Faith, not belief, and patience, open mindedness and open heartedness help me wait for the inner light to shine to see what is not seen by the outer light. When my inner eyes are not open I get disconnected with the flowering and blossoming of life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

It is very tempting to hold on to whatis familiar though it may cause pain in our hands. Fear of the unfamiliar and the unknownkeeps us in the dark zone. In this beautiful poem Jan Richardson describes the blessings of passing through the longest night for awakening to see the light within. I have gone through this process of awakening by releasing the fear of traveling on the unfamiliarroad. Awakening from the comfortable but growth blocking sleep has not been always easy for me. My daily practice of meditation has helped me free myself from the clutches of fear of uncertainty. Darkness fades away as I am walking toward the dawn of awakening. What a blessing!
I have been blessed to experience such inner light in the darkest hours of my life. It happened to me in 1959 when I came from India to America. I had never been out of my country for 34 years. There was excitement mixed with fear. I did not know anybody when I landed in Chicago, a foreign country, a new country, a strange country. My keen desire for learning new things was the light thathelped me go through the difficult times. And such inner light has been guiding me in my journey of life.
As I was growing up in India I was blessed to see my father taking a stand against injustice done to women as well as to "untouchables". I saw Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Vinoba Bhaveand many other courageous leaders fighting for freedom from the unjust British rule of India. Daily practice of meditation has been very helpful to me for guiding me on the right path. I am grateful for receiving suchblessings.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

I love parables. They are short like this Hindu parable containing profound wisdom. This parable reveals the spiritual way of living a precious life without attachment to material things. The man who is sitting by the river side contemplating is deeply contented with what he has. He gladly gives the precious diamond from his bag to the poor man who is a stranger to him. He is not expecting any reward from the beggar. His life is flowing like the river. And when the beggar comes back after a year in the dress of a wealthy man he welcomes him with an open heart. The wealthy man wanted to know whatever was inside him thatallowed him give the diamond freely. Detachment, offering a gift to someone unconditionally expecting no reward in return. This is an example of living like a Karma Yogi, offering a gift from unselfish heart.

I have learned the art of living a spiritual life from my parents and a few wise teachers. I am deeply grateful for teaching me how to spiritualize my life. I got the precious diamondof living without attachment. Living this way creates joy and contentment in me. We all have the precious diamondof happiness and fullness in us. It's by sharing it with others or offering it to others with noattachment fills the cup of my life.

Living in the world spiritually creates abundance, inner wealth and offering the inner wealth to those who need it is a blessing to me. This is a life lesson. When any thought of what I am going to get from others goes through my mind, I recognize it and willinglyI let it go. Remainawake and aware of the mind stuff without being bound by it is my mantra. This is my self-liberating mantra. That frees me from my self-created prison.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Radical reflection means to be aware of the root cause of suffering with an open mind and open heart. Awareness clears my visionclouded by my ignorance of who or what I am; how my clear seeing is affected by my selfish thoughts, selfish desires and selfish acts. Awareness liberates from my self-created mental and emotionalprison. Awareness is the inner light that helps me see my path of life clearly so thatI do not get astray or get lost. Self-awareness is the light within me, the voice within me untouchedby the self-createdclouds and mental deafening noises.
The word awareness is the key word that keeps me awake for walking on the
wise path of living. It keeps me awake of what kinds of thoughts and emotions are arising in my mind and what kinds of words are coming from my mouth, and what kinds of sounds I am hearing in my ears and what kinds of things I am watching with my eyes and how am I using my hands, helping me and others or hurting me and others.
Awareness helps me learn from myself and become wise. This an ongoing process in me. The awareness questionthatI ask to myself is, " Am I sleeping or am I awake?". I have made a clear and wise choice of remaining awake in my mind and heart. The light of awareness is my path of living life fully, attaining Nirvana, freeing from the egotistic self, waking up from separatenessinto the whole.From being a fragment to being the indivisible whole. It is becoming a Buddha, the one who becomes aware of the wholeness
of life and lives for the welfare of all beings. I am on this way and I am not hurrying.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

As I was reading this essay written by AkikoBusch, a song I had heard a long time ago came to my mind. The song is written in Hindi by an anonymous poet.The title of the song is Mukhadakya dekhodarpanamein? Why do you look for your face in the mirror? There are two mirrors: inner and outer. In the world we live in, I seemany people seem to be interested in showing their faces in the outer mirrorsuch asFacebook, Instagram or other popular social media. A question arises in my mind what motivates people to showtheirfaces in the outer mirror. Is that their real self? Is there a discrepancy betweenthe public self and the private self? Am I a two faced person? Do I need validation for being myself in the eyes of others? If I am contented with my face as it is then there is no need to be recognized and validated by others.

Mindfulness awareness helps mefind my original pure face not affected by the judgemental and critical eyes of others. Sadly, we live in a world where our face is judged by the color of our skin, by the race or by the class and by religion. When I meet someone racially different from me I become mindful of what passes through my mind. Am I looking at that peron with clear eyes or colored eyes?Practicing mindfulness frees me from thefrom the judgemental and critical voices arising in my mind. Reading and implementing the teachings of mystics and words of wisdom of enlightened spiritual teachers have helped me evolve spiritually. Clear eyes liberate me from my conditionedmindand such inner clarity helps me relate to others as children of God.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

I tend to agree with the author Robert Sapolskythat aggression will always be a part of human experience. Love also will be a part of the human experience since the biologies of strong love and strong hate are the same. The contextof aggression matters. Animals as well as humans protect their childrenfrom the cruel jaws of mean aggressors. In order to protect the innocent, aggressive behaviors have to be dealt withwithout reacting. And that's the way I interpretthe behavior of the mother narrated in this essay. Without using discretioncounter- aggressive behaviors could cause havoc. History is full of such violent behaviors whether it is like throwing nuclear bombs or poisonous gas in Japan and Vietnam. If we follow "eye for an eye" way for retaliating to the enemy then as Mahatma Gandhi said the whole world will be blind. My stance on aggression and violence is to respond to violence with non-violence and hate with love. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr and Dalai Lama are living examples of implementing this philosophy. I have not encountered heavy duty aggressive behaviors in my life. A couple of times I had run into aggressive car drivers cutting me off on highways. I let them pass by praying for their safety and the safety of other drivers like me. There are aggressive drivers on roads. It does not make sense to react to them aggressively. I apply the wise saying of Viktor Franklwhen I encounter aggressive behaviors in my life. " Between a stimulus and a response there is gap and in that space there is freedom and power." When I encounter an aggressive behavior I pause, breathe deeply and I remain in charge of my potentially aggressive response. I try to empathizewith the aggressorand respond to him compassionately. Many times aggressive behaviors are symptoms of unresolved deep conflicts. If Icounteract with an aggressive behavior, it adds fuel to the fire. Regular practice of Mindfulness Meditation and Loving Kindness has been ve... [View Full Comment] I tend to agree with the author Robert Sapolskythat aggression will always be a part of human experience. Love also will be a part of the human experience since the biologies of strong love and strong hate are the same. The contextof aggression matters. Animals as well as humans protect their childrenfrom the cruel jaws of mean aggressors. In order to protect the innocent, aggressive behaviors have to be dealt withwithout reacting. And that's the way I interpretthe behavior of the mother narrated in this essay. Without using discretioncounter- aggressive behaviors could cause havoc. History is full of such violent behaviors whether it is like throwing nuclear bombs or poisonous gas in Japan and Vietnam. If we follow "eye for an eye" way for retaliating to the enemy then as Mahatma Gandhi said the whole world will be blind.

My stance on aggression and violence is to respond to violence with non-violence and hate with love. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr and Dalai Lama are living examples of implementing this philosophy. I have not encountered heavy duty aggressive behaviors in my life. A couple of times I had run into aggressive car drivers cutting me off on highways. I let them pass by praying for their safety and the safety of other drivers like me. There are
aggressive drivers on roads. It does not make sense to react to them aggressively.

I apply the wise saying of Viktor Franklwhen I encounter aggressive behaviors in my life. " Between a stimulus and a response there is gap and in that space there is freedom and power." When I encounter an aggressive behavior I pause, breathe deeply and I remain in charge of my potentially aggressive response. I
try to empathizewith the aggressorand respond to him compassionately. Many times aggressive behaviors are symptoms of unresolved deep conflicts. If
Icounteract with an aggressive behavior, it adds fuel to the fire. Regular practice of Mindfulness Meditation and Loving Kindness has been very helpful to me forregulating my aggressive impulsesand for creating kindness and compassion for the other person.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'
[Hide Full Comment]

How do we make our choices and how do we live our life is a question for every body. If I make selfish choices for my personal benefit at the cost of others, I am leading a low level life. This way of living diminishesmy well being and well being of society. In order to live life fully I need to set values that enrich my life and the lives of others. This is a radical shift in my consciousness moving from a lower level of consciousness to a higher level of consciousness. I expand my consciousness by surrendering to higher consciousness. As the author of this essay James O'deasays "A Higher Level of ConsciousEngagement".

When I see people who are suffering physically, mentally and emotionally I feel
deep compassion for them. I extend my hand to help them by counseling or doing what I can to reduce theirsuffering. My actions are based on my deep compassion for them without expecting anything in return. This is my way of practicing Karma Yoga. This way I am detached spiritually, fully engaged without being bound by my attachment to the fruits of my action. This is also an example of a higher level of conscious engagement. Living this way brings deep joy and fulfillment in my life.

Keeping the light of self-awarenessand following that light helps me avoid self-absorption and superficialunderstanding. I have learned to step aside when a selfish thought or a desire arisesin me. Remaining awake and aware helps me ofnot getting trapped by my self-absorption and superficialunderstanding. Light ofself-awarenesskeeps me walking on the right path.
Namaste!
JagdishP Dave'

This short storyTwo Drops of Oilauthored by Paulo Coelhomakes me aware of enjoying the wonders of the world without losing the core of my being, the essence of my being, the Two Drops Oil in my spoon. When I get caught up in the outer world by losing the center of myself I deprivemyselfof the fullness and richness of my experience. Then I am not fully present with myself. Half lived life is not worth living.

When I meditate I tastethe fullness of the present moment. Innerand outer distractions fade away and I am in the flow of the present. When I am fully present with someone close to me, I feeldeep connectednessbetween both of us. Such experiences are enriching and fulfilling.When I walk in nature mindfully I am fully present. I get deeply connected with nature.

In this busy world it is hard to find alone time, a time in which I can be myself without distractions and demands. I carve my own time to be with myself fully. This way I fill the cup of my life and gladly share it with others without expecting anything in return. Loving someone unconditionally fills my heart with joy.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Reading the essay Thirsty For Wonder authored by MirabaiStarr stirred up thirst for wonder in me. I welcome such thought provoking writings and I am thankful to Mirabai for offering this gift to us. Her writing made me introspect and reflect. It is my experience and observation that we usually stay in the known zone. It is relatively a safe zone. However, there are times when I want to beyond the known zone-the unknown zone, the zone of unkowingness. This is wonderland for me where beauty unfoldsherself effortlessly, an unheardsound resounds in the heart, and the sky of the mind is clear and is filled with divine light. It is an eye kissing light, heart feelingsound.

The sacred or the divine is always present but our eyes are closed to see it.I need to cleanse my eyes to see the unkowingness; to open my ears to hear the unheard sound; to open my hands to receive the Divine Gift and open my heart to feel the Divine Presence. I experiencesuch moments when I am fully present in the present moment with me, with someone close to me and with nature. It happens when I do not try to make it happen. It happens when I meditate; when I teach or help someone needing help. Such experiences enrich me and lift me up.
Quiet, clear and uncloudedmind helps me to pull the veil back. The veil clouds my consciousness and creates separateness and disconnect. When the veil is pulled back, I see the light of oneness, one unifiedconsciousness. Such experiences are sacred. They deepen my thirstfor wonder. This is an inward journey. Daily practice of Mindfulness Meditation, being in the company of kindred spirits called satsanga, readinginspiring and enlighteningbooks or poems and serving people unselfishly helps me in my spiritual journey.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

There is a basic difference between searching and finding. In searching we have a goal to achieve. So there is a seer and the seen, subject and object. There is duality between the subject and the object. This is a kind of doing or in the words of author Rob Burbea is "fabricating". This is our normal way of thinking and searching. What we are searching is colored by our desires and expectations and it causes elation and depletion. We are bound by this cycle which is called "samsara." Finding is discovering, something that is always "is". This is our "being" or Self The seen the world,always changes. The "seer", Self, is unchanging.
Normally, I am a citizen of two worlds. One world is made up of changes.This world has ups and downs. This is a world of doing and having. When I am not caught up in this self-created dichotomous world, when I am "awake" and aware of this dichotomy I am a citizen of a different world. It is a world of "being". I realize the oneness of all beings. It is a unitive consciousness. We may call it a world of TRUELOVE. This is the miracle of living.
Reaching out and helping someone who needs help, caring for others whole heartedly expecting nothing in return, not harming others, daily practice of mindfulness meditation and practicing mindfulness in everyday living helps me to be connected with "Being".This is the way of freeing myself from myself. The light ofawakening and awarenesshelps me walk in the journey of my life.
Namaste!
JagdishP Dave'

Who am I is a perennial inquiry made in all wisdom traditions. Is there oneness underlying manyness? Is there unity underlying diversity? What causes suffering? Who is suffering? Is there something everlasting? When I identify myself with suffering and dwell on the story of my suffering, I am trapping myself in suffering. Then the blame game begins. She insulted me. He abused me. The mind keeps on telling this story of suffering. This is the haunting and trapping voice of the ego continuing the story of suffering.

Awareness of this ongoing mentalmelodrama and chattering is a way of going beyond the storytelling of suffering. Ii is not easy to wake up from the slumber of self-created suffering. It is hard to be free from the self-created shackles of suffering. It is journey of self-awakening. Waking up from the nightmare of suffering is not easy. It is difficult to rise up from the self-generated fall, to wake up from the sleep and remain awake. I have been learning and practicing to keep the lamp of awarenessshining in my transactions with others in my everyday life. Practicing mindfulness in my everyday life has been very helpful to me. Such practice helps me from draining my emotional energy and not losing my healthy emotional vitality.
Namaste!
Jagdsih P Dave'


Non-judgmenat

Things happen in our life. We experience ups and downs , joys and sorrows, gains and losses, sunrises and sunsets. We have a tendency to personalize them. As result like Mark Manson says we place ourselvesonto to a self-esteem roller coaster, where our self-worth bobs up and own. I know I am not perfect. There are times when I have not been successful. What helps me to go through suchexperiences is to remind myself thatI am not a failure but I have gone through a failure. The same way when things go my way I remind myself that I am not a successbut I have gone through a successful experience. This wayI do not get trapped by my ego.
I have gone through a number of experiencesin my life that havetaught me not take ups and downs in my life personally. How I perceive what happens is my life makes a big difference. When someone praises me or puts me down, I
do not get inflated or depleted. Many times I take their perceptions of me as their self-projections.
Practicing discretion helps meseparate milk from water called nirakshira
vivekain Sanskrit. As I was growing up my father taught me this wise saying. When someone throws a judgemental or acritical arrow at me, I pause, take a few deep breaths make a wise choice, separate milk from water. Life is a school for us to learnhow to live mindfully, how to go though ups and downswith equanimity and gratefully.
Namste!
JagdishP Dave'

Susan Kahn uses the metaphor of Emptiness Cafe to convey the idea of emptiness is fullness. The Spanish mystic John of the Cross calls 'unknowing" an ecstasy. Our mind is mostly dwelling on the same known thoughts. Thought is nothing but a thing. When my mind is still and freeI am hanging out in Emptiness Cafe. In this clear and empty space I feel the fullness of the present moment. It is like hearing the soundless sound.

When I am in deep meditation and when my mind is free fromdistracting thoughts time disappears. I am in Emptiness Cafe where life unfolds with no boundaries of space and time.It is an experience of enlightenment and fulfillment, and abiding love andjoy. Like RabindranathTagore sings, "Ah, the light dances, my darling, at the center of my life, the light strikes, my darling, the chords of my love."

Dualityiscausedin the mind when I relate to myself as not a integral part of the universe. Then thewalls created by the conditioned mind between me and the others create a mental split. It is a divided self. Listening to mystics, reflecting on their words of wisdom and integratingthem in my lifehas been very helpful to me to see non-dualityin duality. Daily practice of Meditation sustains andreinforces my stance. It helps me to see and experience the unity
of life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

What is the purpose of life is a perennialquestion asked by philosophers, mystics, sages, spiritual seekers and persons like me. Gopal Dada uses the metaphor of the Hole-y or leaky bucket and its connection to the purpose of life. Theleaky bucketrepresentsour imperfection, impurity and ignorance of ourown true identity, our true nature which is whole and and holy.Our spiritual practice makes us realize our true nature, our ever- blossoming pureconsciousness. As Mencius, a Confuciansage says," By exhaustivelyexamining one's own mind, one may understand his nature. One who understands his nature understandsHeaven."

To understand the inner world is the key to understanding the mind, myself, my true nature, and wisdom about life. I have to keep my inner eyes open to see the inner light. This is a life-long project. My daily practice of meditation develops qualities such as calmness, clarity and concentration, sensitivity, compassion and self-awareness.

Studying and practicing the Karma Yoga, Yoga of selfless service, with no expectationof any personal reward in return has been very helpful to me in my spiritual journey. Awareness of my attachment to self-serving and self- binding desires and freeing myself from the grip of such desires expands my inner world. Such spiritual practices create "a blooming garden" in me.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

In the worldly world, we judge people who are outwardly and inwardly different from us and who may have a differentorientation to life. Sadly, such a way of thinkingand behaving has caused divisiveness in our country, in our communities, and also in our close relationships. The thread of common humanity that ties us, bondsus and helps us lift from the lower level of consciousness to the higher level of consciousness is created and sustained when we relate to each other as children of God. We do not run on the many spokes of the wagon but we come to the hub, live in the hub. This way we will be connectedwith all the spokes. This way we relate to ourselves and others in our life. We are human beingsprone to making mistakes. We forgive us and others for making mistakes and celebrate life at the hub. We need to discipline ourselves in order to stay at the hub.
Life offers many opportunities to learn from our mistakes and walk on the right path. We have been watching destructive behaviors of some protesters and also some of our elected members, our representativesin the House and in the Senate. It is not easy for me to forgive them for their destructive and demeaning behaviors. I want to let go of my anger for my own peace of mind. I am working on it. It is not easy. When my mind is free from the grip of anger by forgiving me and them I will have a genuine celebration.Non-judgemental awareness of what is going in my mind and heart has been
always helpful to me for recognizing my own limitations and going beyond them. It is an inward light that guides me make wise choices and keep me at hub of the wagon of my life.
Awake! Rise! And walk on the hard but the wise path!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

We all are weavers weaving the tapestry or fabricof our life. How much aware we are when we weave our own fabric? If we weave our fabric with weak threads, our selfish and self-centered, fearful and angry threads thatharm others, we also harm ourselves. We all are connected with each other. I rememberthe wise saying, " As is within so without." We are children of the past and architect of the present and future. How we live in the present shapes our future and the future of the upcoming generations. This is the way I relate to the notion of being woven into and from an ancient ever-renewing fabric.

There are moments of awakening if I do not keep on sleeping. I remember Albert Einstein's wise saying, "No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew." Such wise sayings have been very helpful to me for making a shift in my consciousness. What and how I do has an impact not only on the present but also on the future. This is an awakenedstate of consciousness for me, an inner call for me to listen to.

Hope, will, action, and self-awareness guided by spiritual wisdom helps me walk
on my path of wellness for me and for the generation to come. I am grateful to the ancient wise teachers and the teachers in my this life for enlighteningme.
Life is a blessing.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

We as human beings are imperfect and we all have gone through trying and hard times. Life is not always a bed of roses. It has also sharp thorns. It hurts. There have been times when my heart has been broken. My dreams were shattered. I have learned the value of wholeness from my brokenness. Heart breaks have taught me how to heal my wounds, recover myself, and lift myself up from the falls.Suffering is human. How do we face it and what do we learn from it is up to us.

I have gone through many difficult situations and have learned lessons from them. There were times when I felt heavy weight of emotional pain. Where there was a little light and I did not know how to walk on the the dark lanes of my life. Being with people who have endured hard times in theirlives and their empathic understanding, supportand kindness helpedme emerge from the blinding darkness. Going through difficult times in my life made me understand my own suffering and suffering of others. The words of John Lewis are very inspiring: " My head is blooded but not bowed."

Knowing that there is no certainty in life and accepting it and doing the best I can has been very helpful to me. Reading the stories of people who have gone through hard times in their lives and how they uplifted themselves also have been very helpful to me. Daily practice of Meditation has always helped meremain grounded and calm. Acceptingthe reality of life, having faith in the the higher power, and placing myself in the Divine hands has been my way of going through the ups and downs in life.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

We all emphasizethe value of light, knowledge, and to move from darkness to light. All wisdom traditions relate to darkness as ignorance and as light as knowledge.Author Bear Guerra presents a different way of looking at darkness: Dark Skies Show Us Stars. By accepting darkness we get connectedwith natural world. The world we live in has been highly commercialized and unnaturalizedtaking us away from the natural world. We are drifting away from the natural rhythmsof day and night, light and darkness.I agree with the author when he writes,' without darkness we are noy just incomplete, we fail to dream."
I happen to live in a community where I can see the stars twinkling in the dark sky. Such experiencesget me connected with natural world in which there is vastness and depth. I feel an integral part of the universe and feel the oneness of life. I feel the Divine Presence that liberates from my ignorance and makes me whole or holy. Such natural experiences are illuminating dispelling my inner darkness and separateness. It is a paradoxical statement: Darkness enlightens me!
Reading such illuminating writings and sharing my learnings with close friends and with my students taking classes with me helps me stay on the spiritual path. It is an enlightening and joyful journey.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Who am I? What is reality? Is everything changing? Is there something unchanging? Am I born with it? How do I know? I have been exploring these kinds of questions for quite some time. When my mind is silent I have a clear felt sense of open awareness. My mind is clear. my heart is open. I rest in the deepest ground which John J. Prendergrast calls our home ground or groundless ground.

There is a continuum of groundedness. The author lists four broad experiential stages of groundedness: (a) no ground: I am not in the body. (b) foreground: I am in the body. (C) background: my body is me (as open awareness). (D) Homeground: Everything is my body. When I meditate I go through these sages of natural awareness. (a) I realize that I have a body but I- the soul-am not the body. (b) My soul is in the body. (c) When I become aware of the boundless nature of the soul I realize that my body is contained in thecontainer of natural awareness. (d) The disconnect between different parts of my self goes away. I am in the homeground. I have difficulty i understandingwhat the author means by saying " Everything is my body."

Natural awareness without inner obstructions helps me grow in my senses of groundedness. when I practice Mindfulness Meditation, my mind becomes
attentive and does not get carried away by wandering thoughts,feelings, and desires. Meditation opens up doors to be connectedwith what is happening in the present moment. Meditative experienceis not bound by time and space.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

This story narrated by the grand daughter is very timely as we are approaching the gift-giving Christmas time. The conventionalway of buying gifts is so terribly time consuming and people feel confused and inadequate about what to give. The spiritual approach for gift-giving is very simple. We do it as a service to God without getting anything in return. My experience of gift-giving is simple and uncomplicatedlike the experience of the granddaughter Neshume-le. I can easily relate to what the grandfather told his granddaughter, it is not the water the seeds need to grow but" Aii it needs is your faithfulness." Faith is the foundation of all relationships and of all spiritual practices.

Blessing life is the most effective way of creating and nurturinglife in all forms-human and natural. There are times when relationships thin out or break up. Giving unconditional love from the heartbased on the foundation of faith repairs and heals our fragile relationships. Several years ago I had an agonizing and depressive experience in my life. It was a heart-breaking experience. It took time for me to recover from it. My deep faith in the goodness of heart helped meemerge fromthe hurting heart to the healing heart. It was a transforming experiencefor me.

The best teacher is within ourselves. What we need is calmness,patience, empathy, compassion and above all faithfulness. Life offers many opportunitiesfor working on ourselves to repair and heal our relationships. It is a daily metta, loving kindness practice that heals me and others. It is blessing from the heart.
May we relate to us and others with the loving light of faith and kindness!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

We all have a deep longing for Happiness. It is the Sacred within us. It is an egoless Presence with no time and space boundaries. It is Universal. It is Within us. It is Divinity within us. It is Pure Consciousness. It is Holy.

I feel the presence of Happiness when my thinking mind is quiet. I feel the presence of Happiness when I let go of searching for Happiness. It is always within us like pure love, clear light, complete silence. I experience such Happiness when I am fully present with myselfor with others; when I am fully absorbed in what I am doing. These are the times when I in the Flow of Happiness.

Daily practice of Mindfulness Meditation, serving others selflessly, loving others kindly and unconditionally helps me. I am not against thinking mind. I need to think to solve the problems when I encounter them. I use my mind to make wise choices. I am thinking when I am responding to these questions. I am happy to reflect on this wonderful reading close to my heart.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

The self-image that I create is only the reflection of the outside of me. It is like stagnant water rather than the flowing river. My life is dynamic. It is not static. It is becoming. It is a process and not a product. The image ofme is not my identity which is vibrating with energy and changing. The outside of me does not represent the inside of me.

We all have potential to grow horizontally and vertically. The horizontal axisrepresents the expansion of my consciousness-my organic connection with nature and people. The vertical axis represents the depth of my relationship with nature and people. In order to experience my inner world, my true identity, I need to be with me fully without getting caught up in mentally narratingwhat happenedin the past or worryingabout what will happen in the future. It is flowing with the present. This happens when I do mindfulness meditation and practicing mindfulness in different contexts of my everyday life. This practice helps me grow on both horizontal and vertical axes. It happens when I am listening to me and to others with an open mind and an open heart. It happens when I listen to music or get absorbed in reading a book or contemplating.

Non-judgemental awareness of my inner and outer world helps me avoid the trap of using life as a product to protect my image. Knowing that posting my image on a smart phone is not my true identity. Knowing that my shadow is an unrecognized and unaccepted part of darkness within me and working on it frees me from my self-created bondage. This is a life-long process. There is light within me that keeps me awake in the journey of my life. That light is my guide, my savior.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Our minds discriminate between right and wrong or this and that.What is being discriminated takes place in our unconscious sub-minds. In that sense I is the narrator of the experience or I is the product of a collection of the unconscious sub-minds.How do I know that? What is that I? It is awareness. Awareness is like an observer. It is pure witnessing consciousness untouched by the collection of sub-minds. That helps us from being caught up in mistaken identity.

When I need to or want to make an important decision about what to chooseI do not act impulsively or by my habitual patterns of rushing without pausing. From my experienceof such actions I have learned not to be controlled by the voices of unconscious sub-minds. This way of making wise choices is an ongoing process. It is worth doing to prevent or avoid myself from falling into a pit of suffering.

The light of awareness helps me when i am moving toward the dark zone-the wrong zone. When I am aware of what is going on in my mind and refrain myself from doing harm to me and to others, my action becomes a blessing to me and to others connected with me. Mindful actions bring blessings and prevent curses.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

When my mind is divided between two cognitive polls like I want to do something leisurely and enjoyable such as reading a book and checking important email messages I feel trapped by time and feel time poverty. When I do something which I enjoy doing without technological interruptions and technological invasions I feel time affluence, a relaxed, gratifying and joyful state of mind. When my time is fragmented by two demanding tasks, I feel stressed out and not satisfied with either of the two tasks. Time confetti
fragments the time of leisure, peacefulness and restfulness. Technology saves time but at the same time takes time away. It's like I have saved time but also I have lost time. Gain and loss at the same time! This is indeed the autonomy paradox.

Good life is choice making. I use discretion when it comes to spending my time. I do not make everysituation urgent unless it is really urgent. I have intentionallyand wisely broken habitual patternsof automatically and mindlessly responding to tempting and distracting stimuli. It takes time to disengage from the grip of time confetti. I maintain a balance between demanding work and leisurely play. This is an ongoing process.

As Ashley Whillanssays, " Working toward time affluence is about recognizing and overcoming the time traps in our lives." It amounts to controlling impulses that captivate my mind. It means cultivating the virtue of wisdom and the virtue of patience leading to wise choices and wise actions.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Such simple and easy to understand stories teacha profound spiritual lesson. When we offer a gift from our heart without expectingany rewardit becomes an abundant offering.When a poor old woman heard thatthe Buddha was accepting offerings she had already eaten half of the pomegranate.The only thing she had to offer was the other half of thatpomegranate. It was a meager offering but it had the deepest abundance. It is indeed a gift from the heart and that way it was priceless.

Serving others with no axe to grind. This is the heart of the Karma Yoga narrated in the Bhagavad Gita. This is my understanding of spiritualty. It lifts us from a lower self to a higher self. I practice Karma Yoga in my life by sharing what I have with others mostly in the form of teaching without expecting any reward in return. This way of living feels my heart with deep joy, contentment, and fulfillment.

Reading such storiesfrom different wisdom traditions, contemplating on them, and sharing them withothers has been very helpful to me in my spiritual journey. Daily practice of mindfulness meditation and cultivating skills of compassionate living help me stay on my path. It's by giving we receive!
Namaste!
JagdishP Dave'

I like the way Joanne Macy narrates the three frames, versions or narratives or stories. The first two narratives have been in the society for a long time. The third narrative is "the central adventure of our time." It is the transitionto a life sustaining society. We are going through this Great Turning, ecological or sustainability revolution. The challenge for us is to survive the first two narratives and keep bringing more people and resources into the third narrative. I strongly believe in deep ecology. It is our sacred duty to save and preserve our eco system. The first two narratives have served us at a big cost. Our environment is polluted, climate is drastically changingaffecting the lives of not only human beings but all beings. For many years I did not see the negative side of the first two narratives. I have been more aware of the damaging impact of the the first two narratives. Listening to eco-philosophers like Joanne Macy and many eco-scientists has made me more aware and clear about the third narrative. I have made changes in my diet for health reasons and also for supporting locaaly grown palnt-based I like the way Joanne Macy describes the three stories or narratives of realty shaping our world. The first two narratives, global corporate capitalism and industrial revolution, have been with us for a long time. These two narratives have been helpful to us in certain ways but they have caused a lot of damage not only to us but also to the eco system. There is a growing awakening and embracing of the emerging third narrative or revolution named ecological or life-sustaining revolution. This is The Great Turning. Our challenge is how to survive the first two narratives and to bring and keep more people and resources into the third narrative. I believe in deep ecology and in creating and supporting eco-friendlyenvironment. It has taken time for me to realize the value of implementing the third narrative in my life. I am in fu... [View Full Comment] I like the way Joanne Macy narrates the three frames, versions or narratives or stories. The first two narratives have been in the society for a long time. The third narrative is "the central adventure of our time." It is the transitionto a life sustaining society. We are going through this Great Turning, ecological or sustainability revolution. The challenge for us is to survive the first two narratives and keep bringing more people and resources into the third narrative. I strongly believe in deep ecology. It is our sacred duty to save and preserve our eco system. The first two narratives have served us at a big cost. Our environment is polluted, climate is drastically changingaffecting the lives of not only human beings but all beings.

For many years I did not see the negative side of the first two narratives. I have been more aware of the damaging impact of the the first two narratives. Listening to eco-philosophers like Joanne Macy and many eco-scientists has made me more aware and clear about the third narrative. I have made changes in my diet for health reasons and also for supporting locaaly grown palnt-based

















I like the way Joanne Macy describes the three stories or narratives of realty shaping our world. The first two narratives, global corporate capitalism and industrial revolution, have been with us for a long time. These two narratives have been helpful to us in certain ways but they have caused a lot of damage not only to us but also to the eco system. There is a growing awakening and embracing of the emerging third narrative or revolution named ecological or life-sustaining revolution. This is The Great Turning. Our challenge is how to survive the first two narratives and to bring and keep more people and resources into the third narrative. I believe in deep ecology and in creating and supporting eco-friendlyenvironment.

It has taken time for me to realize the value of implementing the third narrative in my life. I am in full alignment with the third narrative. I have started making significant changes in my diet. I eat non-GMO organic food. I buy locally produced food. I am a born vegetarian. It makes iteasy for me to have healthy plant-based diet.I believe in and practice the philosophy of living a simple life. I was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of living a simple life. Small is Beautiful. Contentmentand fulfillment come from living a wholesome simple living. It's not a slogan for me. It is my experience.

I was raised in a family which practiced the philosophy of simple living. Reading articles on climate change and deep ecology and having vibrant discussions with respectful and open minded people have been very helpful to me. Having a supportive circle of family members and friends also help me to walk on the path. I see more young people involved in making environmental changes. This is very inspiring. Time has come to save the earth by making wise choices. I am hopeful and happy to see changes taking place in the right direction.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'












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The central message of the story of the Caterpillar TurningInto A Butterfly is the story of transformation and emergence of ourselves as we travel in our life'sjourney. We all change. Nothing remains the same. The challenge is how the change transforms our ways of thinking, feeling and doing. It's a deep qualitative change, like the caterpillarturning into a butterfly. We all grow but in which direction of our life. Are we repeating the same cycle or we are getting out of the routine and move in an upward bound direction?
I see myself growingslowly from childhood, to young age, to adulthood and old age. It has not been a steady journey of transformation. It has its ups and downs, its twists and turns. A couple of times I fell down. I leaned from falling down and moved on in my upward journey of life. As I look behind I see myself emerging and transforming. My outlook has been widened. I see myself unbound and freed from my judgmental stances of people different from me in many ways. My inner eyes have become clear and I see people as they are. As the Buddha says "see the isness."
Cultivating healthy habits of mind and nurturing the mind in a healthy way has been very helpful to me. I keep my mind and heart open without tarnishing them with my preconceived notions. Practicing mindfulness meditation and non-judgemental awareness help me constantly emerging from my past caterpillar self into the present butterfly self.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Reading Ram Dass'spassage The Game Is To Be Where You Are reminds me a beautiful poemCome As You Are written by Rabindranath Tagore. When we love someone, we don't love the outer form of the beloved. We love the inner being of the person which is just like us. Ram Dass uses the metaphorof taking the mask off to see the beauty of the original face without any makeups. I love the Zen Koan: Find your original face before you were born. The Indian poet Mira sings: Remove the veil and you will meet your beloved. This is the way I relate to the notion thatthe game is to be where we are.
I have had several experiences of being loved as I am. My mother did not have any conditions for loving me as I was. She planted and nurtured the seeds of unconditional love as I was growing up. She was a role model for me. I was blessed to have her in my life. I learned from her how to love and relate to people in my life as they are. As years passed I have been able to cultivate spiritual maturity in me. To me life is a spiritualjourney or as Ram Dasssays it
is a spiritual game.
Trees look different when we look at them with outward eyes. When we look at the same trees with clear inward eyes we see the treeness, the oneness, the essence, among all trees. I follow three steps for cultivating spiritual maturity:
listening to the people who are on the path of spiritual maturity, reflecting on theirteachings, and applying them in my daily living. This is called sadhana, spiritual discipline.
Namste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Becoming yourself is a challenge for all of us. Right from our childhood we are asked by others in our families, schools and societies who we should be. Our mind's are conditioned to think, feel and act according to the norms established by others. Reading this poem written by Mary Sarton reminds me of a poem written by John Milton. " The mind is its own place, and itself can make a Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven." It is up to me to make my own choice to become myself. In order to hear my own voice I need to quiet my own mind. In the quiet moments I know who I am. It's a journey of self-discovery. Once I hear my own voice, I sing my own song. OnceI know the rhythms of my life I
dance my own dance.

I feel the fullnessof life when I am my real self. Such realization grows in me like a plant rooted, watered and nurtured by love. Such inner growth takes place when I take time out and reflect deeply and feelmy "own weight and density". These are the times when the song of life is born and it comes out with sheer love and joy. The people in my life who love me as I amhear my song and sing along with me. It is a song of love, a song of togetherness and harmony.These are the gifts of becoming oneself.

My self-awarenessis my guide, my companion, my guru. When am in an awakened state the light of self-awarenessshows me the wise path of my spiritual journey. When i deviate from my spiritual path I stop and ask questions to myself: Where was I when I was with myself? Was I with me fully present with the presence of awakened awareness? Right answers come for within when I take time out and be still. Regular practice of Mindfulness Meditation and practicing mindfulness in my everyday life have been very helpful to me in my search of who am I and how to live fully.
Namste!
Jagdish P Dave'

I have learned a long time ago that our mind is the cause of liberation or bondage. How do I use my mind is in my hand. If I dwell on negative thoughts negative feelings and actions I get negative outcomes. Research studies done by positive psychologists show how we create our own happiness or misery by what we think and what choices we make. We can reinforce our brain's negative bias by thinking negatively. It is up to us to decide how to use our mind. The inner light of wisdom os pure consciousness helps us to make positive changes in our mind and that way rewiring our brain. And this way we are creating positive or constructive brain's habitual patterns.

It is helpful to have information about how the application of positive psychology creates positive changes in our brain and in our personal behavior and our social transactions. Transformation takes place when we apply the information in our actions.I know what I need to do to preserve and enhance my physical health. It is hard to break the harmful habitual patterns such as what to eat, when to sleep, and when to do physical exercise. Practicing self-discipline has helped me to walk on the healthy path.

Knowing what is good and what is helpful and doing what is good and what is helpful has been very helpful to me. Living mindfully is my way of retraining my brain. I want to be master of my brain and not its slave. This is challenging and I love it. I am with the author Leah Perlman when he says, " I'm voting with my attention."
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

When my vision is clouded what I look out will be clouded and if swing into actionwith the clouded vision, I will make things worse. All wisdom traditions ask us to awake from the sleep of ignorance, to see the Light Within and see the world and act with the light of love and clarity. The Light Within is the Light of Being, the Light of Love. When my doing emerges form the Inner Light, it heals the wounds. In my daily life I remember the wise words ofMeisterEchart: "It is not by your actions thatyou will be [awakened] but by your being. It is not by what you do but by what you are that you will be judged."

I remember and applythe wise saying in my daily lifethat the being in the doing shapes our experience. I apply this wise saying in all areas of my life-personal and interpersonal. There are times when I act unmindfully which disrupts the clear and loving flow of my energy. With practice I quickly wake upand get connected with the Light of Being. As a teacher and as acounselor as well as a family member I get plenty of opportunities of becoming aware of my being in the doing. And if and when I goof I quickly correct my path.

Remaining awake and aware of my bodily sensations, thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions helps me avoid the trap of substituting one unkind act for another. Awarenesskeeps the Light Within shining for making wise choices.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Looking at the clouds floating in the sky is very fascinating to me. I felt this fascination as a child. The sky was a paly house. The clouds of different shapes coming and going were the actors filling my heart with wonder, delight and inspiration.Watching the play of the clouds made me wonder where they are coming from and where they are going. I expressed my wonderment in a poem that I wrote in my mother tongue. " Kon,Vadalanipachalachhupatu?" Whois hiding behind the clouds?" Sadly, our contact with nature has been diminished as we are getting more amd more urbanized. Occasionally we may look at the wonders of nature. Taking time out to see the wonders of nature has been a deeply enriching experiencefor me. I appreciate what Fabiana Fonderila says:"Let'swaste time learning to love the world, everyday, a little bit more and better. Let's waste time on what is truly important."

A few years ago, we were traveling in Colorado. We were on the top of a mountain.There were a few clouds moving in front of the setting sun.There was a beautiful display of colors of the clouds and slowly slowly the sun vanishing in the horizon. We were spell bound by the natural beauty changing moment to moment. We will never forget this experience.

Natural curiosity to be connected with the beauty of nature does not get stale or old. That's a gift freely given to us if we extend our hands to receive it. Remaining aware and attending to this gracious gift of nature with gratitude is the way to retain this natural capacity. According to me there is nothing cynical about it.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Basically I ama mono-tasking person. When someone talks to me I want to be fullypresent to the person. I do not want my mind divided between here and there. I want to be connected and engaged with the other person. Paying full attention to the person is conducive not only for cultivating cognitive function but also for cultivating social and emotional learning, for cultivating effective and positive relationships. As a learner and a teacher, I see the value of of focused attention. Our personal experience and research studies show that multitaskinghas a strong and adverse effect on cultivating cognitive, emotional and social skills. Sadly, smart phones, laptops and video-games have been powerfuldistracting factors in our schools and families.

When I am reading, writing, listening, communicating, eating, walking, driving and meditating I make it sure that I am fully attentive and focused on what I am doing. This is mindfulness practice. When my mind goes astray by an external stimulusor internal stimulus, I become aware of it and do not get trapped by it. Practicing mindfulness helps me to be free from my temptation to to be engaged in more than one task. It frees me from multitasking. When we eat we pray together. Praying together creates sacred and peaceful environment. We put our smart phones and laptops beyond our sight. When we study or communicate we follow the same helpful rule.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Clear version is created by clear vision. As I was growing up, I learned many valuable lessons of life from my father, by his words and by his actions. I remember one wise saying he used to say, " Yahtadristi, tatha sristi". As is my vision so is my world. If my vision is colored by my prejudices, judgments, assumptions, and expectations, I am going to create my mental, emotional and behavioral world by my vision. The same way the other person relates to me by his vision. Our versions of each other is created by our vision.Clear versionis created by theclarity of my vision. My mother used to say that when your eyes are affected by jaundice, you see everything yellowish. Buddha uses the word sati for clarity with no clouds of prejudice or selfishness floating in the mind.It is difficult to be free from prejudiceand judgments whichhave slipped into our unconscious mind. As a result as Krishna Das says. we"create the movie of me...we write it, direct it, produce it, and star in it." Creating clear vision is a life long project. Our life is created, shaped and sustainedby the illusory perceptions of who I am and who others are. When we mindfully relate to our own illusory world and work on it, our vision of ourselves and of others changes for better. We wake up from the sleep of illusion and see the light without any walls created by our ignorance. This illumined clear vision frees us from the bondage of ego. In this statewe see oneness in manyness. This is the journey I am going through. I see more light than darkness and I feel free fom my self-created bondage. Daily practice of mindfulness meditation and living mindfully has been very helpful to me. Self-knowing and self-acceptance has created wholeness in me. I do not feel the need to see myself better than others or worse than others. May we create clarity in us to relate to others like ourselves. Namsate! Jagdish P Dave' ... [View Full Comment] Clear version is created by clear vision. As I was growing up, I learned many valuable lessons of life from my father, by his words and by his actions. I remember one wise saying he used to say, " Yahtadristi, tatha sristi". As is my vision so is my world. If my vision is colored by my prejudices, judgments, assumptions, and expectations, I am going to create my mental, emotional and behavioral world by my vision. The same way the other person relates to me by his vision. Our versions of each other is created by our vision.Clear versionis created by theclarity of my vision. My mother used to say that when your eyes are affected by jaundice, you see everything yellowish. Buddha uses the word sati for clarity with no clouds of prejudice or selfishness floating in the mind.It is difficult to be free from prejudiceand judgments whichhave slipped into our unconscious mind. As a result as Krishna Das says. we"create the movie of me...we write it, direct it, produce it, and star in it."

Creating clear vision is a life long project. Our life is created, shaped and sustainedby the illusory perceptions of who I am and who others are. When we mindfully relate to our own illusory world and work on it, our vision of ourselves and of others changes for better. We wake up from the sleep of illusion and see the light without any walls created by our ignorance. This illumined clear vision frees us from the bondage of ego. In this statewe see oneness in manyness. This is the journey I am going through. I see more light than darkness and I feel free fom my self-created bondage.

Daily practice of mindfulness meditation and living mindfully has been very helpful to me. Self-knowing and self-acceptance has created wholeness in me. I do not feel the need to see myself better than others or worse than others.
May we create clarity in us to relate to others like ourselves.
Namsate!
Jagdish P Dave'








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Things don't go the way I want or expect. How do I relate to such situations, how di I face such a challenge? I have two choices: accept the reality and do the best I can or turn my face away from it. If I turn my face away I feel myself defeated. If I choose to face it, I don't know what I may end up with. What will be the outcome? I am at a cross road. There have been times in my life when I have backed off and turned my face away from such situations.And there have been times when I have faced them with courage. Facing the reality courageously has helped me grow intellectually and emotionally. It feels like I am flying in the open sky seeing the wonders of the world with fresh and new eyes.
I have encountered quite a few situations in my life when I had to make a clear choice. The situation that I would never forget was deciding to marrya woman named Vanleela from another caste, another religion and another class. Since her family was totally againsther marrying me, both of us had to make a courageous decision. We faced the reality and decided to marry. This was a very powerful experiencefor both of us. It strengthened and enriched our relationship.
There are times when we need to go beyond the rational mind and listen to the intuitive mind. I trust the inner voice and follow it whole heartedly. It is important for me not to be bound by my question "What if?" and accept "Whatis", A lot of energy is consumed by "What if" mindset. That will make me feel stuck. "What is" mindset helps me to accept the reality as it is and make the right choice.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

Wisdom traditions point towardthe Wholeness of the Cosmic Order. We are an integral part of the Eternal Undivided Whole. What we think, speak, and act makes a big difference in how we relate to the Cosmic Order. When there is alignment or harmony in what I think, speak, and act I am an integral part of the Cosmic Order. My thoughts, words and actions have a strong impact on my internal environment as well as external environment. The inner and the outer become ONE. When my life follows this path I experience the intoxicating
Presence, joyousness, boundlessness and freedom.

When my thoughts, words, and actions are for serving others with no self-serving expectations I feel deep joy, contentment, andfreedom and fullness.My actions are for the welfare of the whole Cosmos. I feel an integral part of the Cosmos. This way of living is called Karma Yoga in the BhagavadGita.

All wisdom traditions teach us to awaken from the sleep of ignorance. Awareness of my thoughts, words and actions keep me awakened for walking on the right path, the path of selfless service.

May we all learn how to be an integral partof the Eternal Undivided Whole!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

Knowing and accepting tha fact that the cup of my life is going to be broken one day and not to get hung up or chained by the fear of uncertainty is the way of living fully. This is my understanding of the "wisdom of uncertainty". Because I know the fate, I accept it without denying or resisting it.This way of thinking and knowing creates a weather of freedom and openness in my mind. Such a mindset helps me live fully.

We all have been going through the uncertainty at this time in our life. The arrival and the spread of the corona virus has caused fear, worry and anxiety in our mind. How do we deal with these huge clouds of fear, worry, and anxiety floating iin our mind? This is a big existential challenge to all of us. My daughter runs a private MontessoriSchoolin Phoenix, AZ. The virus situation has been
causing a lot of worry and anxiety in her and my mind. We are not sure about
how long the corona virus will last. Instead of worrying about the uncertaintywe mindfully processed our fear and anxiety and came up with a well thought out plan for opening and operating our school. One week is gone smoothly and we are confident that we will be able to run the course smoothly. We are sailing the boat with the winds of compassion and cooperation of all the people involved in this endeavor.

Doing the best we can do without worrying about or attached to the outcomes of our efforts helps us live in the "Trusting Mind." When doubts or worries arise in our mind we mindfully process them, let them come and go. The "Free Mind" is the "Trusting Mind".
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Knocking At The Door?
It is late at night and time to sleep.
As I am going to close my tired eyes
I hear a soundless sound.
I wonder who is knocking at the door?
I open the door of my heart
And lo and behold my heartdancing with ecstasy.
I am swimming in the river with no banks
And flying in the sky with no boundaries.
A flute is playing with no player.
I'm Radhamerging with Krishna!

Mind has its own mind. I let the mind run its own course. I do not follow it and do not fight it. When I do not identify myself with the the thoughts or feelings goingthrough the mind, I see them as clouds passing through the clear sky. I realize that I have a mind but I am not the mind. I have thoughts and feelings but I am not thoughts and feelings. I am witness consciousness-clear open sky- not bound by the clouds coming and going. When I resist and fight my thoughts or feelings, they get stronger.

When I remain aware of what is happening in my body-mind
complex, bodily sensations and thoughts and feelings, and do not identify myself with them, I am in the Zone of Being. Thoughts appear and disappear in the clear sky of awareness. This happens everyday when I sit quietly doing Mindfulness Meditation. Practicing Mindfulness Meditation regularly has a carry over effect in my daily living. It helps me to be free from the grip of ongoing thoughts in my mind. Remainingmindful in different contexts of my daily life makes me realize the I am consciousness and not my coming and going thoughts.

As stated before, practicing Mindfulness Meditation regularly and practicing Mindfulness in everyday life helps me cultivate indifference toward the mind. As the author AnnamalaiSwamistates, " Cultivating this attitude of indifference toward the mind, you will detach yourself from your"little self" to your real Self."
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Making mistakes is human. As a human being I have made many mistakes. According to my understanding there are two ways of relating to mistakes: I may criticize and get angry at myself for making mistakes. This way of relating to my mistakes will surely bring me down and stop me from learning from my mistakes. The other way is to learn from my mistakes, gain an insight from my mistakes and grow from my mistakes. I will not learn how to rise if I do not fall down. The falling down is an integral part of rising up. This is the way I learn the truth of things. I will never forget my first lesson of making a mistake. I was 12 years old. I saw children of my age bicycling to school.I was afraid of riding a bicycle. My elder brother had a bicycle. He wanted me to get rid of my fear of losing my balance and falling down.He invited me to ride his bicycle and asked me not to be afraid of falling down. He assured me that he would provide his help if I lost my balance. With fear in my heart, I took a leap. As I was riding, my brother let go of his support and let me ride the bice on my own. I aws not aware of my brother not supporting me. When I realized that I was on my own,the fear of riding by myself got hold of me and I fell down and got bruised.This was an important learning experiencefor me. It taught me to relate to challenges in life with an open mind and an open heart and not to be afraid of making mistakes. It is facing fear fearlessly. This is the way I relate to Christ Lombard's title of the article: Mistakes: Results That Show The Truth Of Things. I followthree basic steps for learning a new idea or for cultivating a new skill:1. Keeping my mind open by listening to the people who really and deeply know, the wise teachers. 2. Ask questions for clarification or elaboration. This is crucialstep for learning. 3. Meditate. Take time to observe silence to realize the truth. And then applyit for relating to challengesI face in my life. This open ended Mindfulness M... [View Full Comment] Making mistakes is human. As a human being I have made many mistakes. According to my understanding there are two ways of relating to mistakes: I may criticize and get angry at myself for making mistakes. This way of relating to my mistakes will surely bring me down and stop me from learning from my mistakes. The other way is to learn from my mistakes, gain an insight from my mistakes and grow from my mistakes. I will not learn how to rise if I do not fall down. The falling down is an integral part of rising up. This is the way I learn the truth of things.

I will never forget my first lesson of making a mistake. I was 12 years old. I saw
children of my age bicycling to school.I was afraid of riding a bicycle. My elder brother had a bicycle. He wanted me to get rid of my fear of losing my balance and falling down.He invited me to ride his bicycle and asked me not to be afraid of falling down. He assured me that he would provide his help if I lost my balance. With fear in my heart, I took a leap. As I was riding, my brother let go of his support and let me ride the bice on my own. I aws not aware of my brother not supporting me. When I realized that I was on my own,the fear of riding by myself got hold of me and I fell down and got bruised.This was an important learning experiencefor me. It taught me to relate to challenges in life with an open mind and an open heart and not to be afraid of making mistakes. It is facing fear fearlessly. This is the way I relate to Christ Lombard's title of the article: Mistakes: Results That Show The Truth Of Things.

I followthree basic steps for learning a new idea or for cultivating a new skill:1. Keeping my mind open by listening to the people who really and deeply know, the wise teachers. 2. Ask questions for clarification or elaboration. This is crucialstep for learning. 3. Meditate. Take time to observe silence to realize the truth. And then applyit for relating to challengesI face in my life. This open ended Mindfulness Meditative practice has been my way of embracing fear that opens the door for loving life.

Namaste!

Jagdish P Dave'


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If we want to live life fully, we need to let go and free ourselves from the grip of the past and the grip of the future. We need to release the grip of holding on to the past as well as future and live fully in the present moment. In order to fill the cup of my life fully I need to empty my cup. We need to be thrown out of the old nest.Otherwise I live a life unfulfilled. It is by letting go I receive the gifts of living fully. These kindsof paradoxical sayings come from most of the wisdom traditions.Pema Chodronrepresents the Buddhist perspective of living Mindfully.
I have been learning how to embrace life fully by throwing out of the old nest. Every morning I wake up I practice mindfulness that helps me to live fully in the present moment. I try to maintainmindfulness in taking care of my everyday tasks. I live fully in the present moment. There are times when the old habitual or conditioned patterns of behaviortake over me. I fly back to the old nest. I wake up and realize that I had imprisoned myself by not being mindful of my mind. It takes time and practice to walk on the path of mindfulness. I patiently and compassionately embrace that path.
Daily formal practice of Mindfulness Meditation and daily informal practice of Mindfulness in everyday tasks of my living help me to live fully in the present moment. This is an awakened perspective of living fully and harmoniously. And I love it!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

How to disciplineourselves in Tao is a question that every Mindfulness meditator asks the master and himself. The answerthe Zen master Hui-hai gives to Yuan, the questioner, is simple and profound: Be Here Now: not to conjure up all kinds of imaginations and and varieties of idle thoughts; to empty the mind clouded with idle thoughts. In my Mindfulness Meditation practice, I let whatever arises in my body, mind and heart come and go. Letting in and letting go is my way of emptying the useless and harmful stuff. It helps me to stay in the present moment. This daily Mindfulness practice helps me in my daily tasks and transactions. Emptiness is Fullness.

Last night I had a very helpful and fruitful talk with my 23 yearsold grandson. He wanted to learn how to be his true self-genuine and authentic self with his friends when they have a different take on Black Life Matters. We had a dialogue between two of us. This was a good opportunity for practicing Mindfulness. He observed me how I had kept my mind and heart open and non-judgmental while listening to him and responding to him without judging him. Both of us felt deeply connected with each other and understood each other's position on this hot and burning issue. It was a cool and enriching experience
for both of us.

Practicing non-judgmental existential awareness of what is happening in me in my daily life helps me to deepen my presence with me and with others. Non-judgmental self-awareness and open-mindedness enrich and deepen my understanding of myself and other people in my life. Beginner's mind is an open, empty, receptive, and a wise mind.
May we all learn and practice what Hui-hai taught Yuan.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

It is quite obvious that I did not have my voice to choose when and where I was to be born. That was beyond my control. But I have freedom to make my choices about how to live my life. I did not have control over what genes I was going to inherit from my parents. But I have freedom to create wholesomeinternal environment and external environment. Have I always made the wise choices?Of course not. There were times when I knew what was the right way to go but my actions were not in alignment with what I knew. I paid the price for it, learned from my wrong turn, and took the right path. It is a matter of choice making. I use my "second arrow"-the arrow ofhow to relate to my situations and experiences, as the Buddha has taught us.

One of the most difficult decisions I needed to make was about marrying someone whom I loved dearly. She came from a different caste, from an upper class, and from a different religion. I was the first person in my family to have an intercaste marriage. I followed the voice of my heart and faced whatever I had to face for making my choice. That was a big and bold step in my life. And that haslaid a strong foundation for me for making right-wise- choices in my life.

Experience is a great teacher. Book knowledge is helpful but not enough. I need to cultivate and nourish my need to self-actualize. It is not always easy to sing my song when the people close to me either turn their ears away or use their tongue against me. The gate of freedom is narrow and the road is hard.There are times when like RabindranathTagore says, "Walk alone even when nobody cares to listen to yor voice." Love and courage help me to follow my voice.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

I have learned from my personal experience that life is not a straight line. It has curves, twists and turns. I have experienced negative emotions such as fear, depression and anger. They are not easy to control. Such negative emotions have made my life difficult. There are two ways of dealing with such negative emotions: denial,suppression or rationalization. The other way is to recognize them, and work on them or get professional help.

Some time ago I went for one week long silent retreat. The first two days were
difficult for me. I am not used to remaining silent for more than a day. It was a new and difficult experience for me. I felt restless, agitated, and bored. I accepted my difficult emotions and difficult times. After two days it was easy for me to remain silent. In fact I enjoyed the presence of silence and saw the value and power of silence. I spent a good amount of time on introspection and also seeing the peaceful beauty of nature. Silence opened up new doors of perception for me.

Keeping my mind and heart open and maintaining self-awareness helps me to tap into genuine heart-felt positive emotions. I feel inner fullnesswhen I experience love, kindness, joy and compassion. There is fullness in such genuine positive emotional experiences. Since there is genuine fullness and richness in such living, I do not need to grasp for the counterfeitgold.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

There is an existential approach or standpoint when it comes to asking the question what is the meaning of life. The meaning of life is not static and so is the question. Life is dynamic. Life is changing. How do I relate to this truth of life? By using the past frame of reference or by planning for thee future? My response to life is relating to life as it unfolds. The unfolding life presents specific challenges in the concreteness of here and now.

We all are aware of the challenges we are facing at this time. We see the cruel face of mankind, the hurting heart of mankind, the angry outburst of mankind. This is an existential challenge to all of us. How do I relate to this existential challenge? I do not believe in remaining indifferent or quiet. I also do not believe in taking it in piecemeal or in a fragmented way. It is a systemic problem and it needs to be tackled in a systemic way. I am examining myself and becoming aware of my own biases and prejudice. Is my mind static? Am I hiding myself from myself? These self-examining questions are very important to me for understanding and relating to what is happening in our society.

I am helping myself by allowing what arises in my consciousness. It is like welcoming the unwelcoming, those parts of myself that I do not want to look at, sense or feel. It is liberating myself from myself to have a clear vision of what is and how can I relate to that is-ness.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Internal change and external change are interconnected. If I focus my energy in participating in the mass movement or collective action blindly and compulsively, I will not be the true participant or agent of change. The change will be on the surfaceand superficial. The wheel of suffering will continue. Deep, true, inward, and voluntary change happens when I deeply, honestly, intelligentlyand freely explore what fundamentally needs to be changed and how I can be an active and dynamic part of this change. Deep and lasting change takes place when there is an alignmentamong Head-intelligent, honest and clear thinking, Heart-love, courage, and compassion, and Hand- action. The three H's need be harmony-the fourth H. I recall two mass movements in which I had participated-one in India and the other in the USA. The first mass movement was the freedom movement called Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi. It was based on two fundamental principles: Truth and Non-violence. It became a national movement against the unjust British rulers. Gandhijiwas an earnest truth seeker and peace maker. He embodiedhis message: " Be the change you want to have in the world." The second mass movement in which I participated was a movement against Vietnam war. I was very clear about the goal of the movement. The problem I had in fully participatingin the movement was some of the means that were employed by the leaders of the movement. There was no alignment between the means and the end. I am against using verbal and physical use of violence for attaining justice and peace. I could not fully and whole heatedly participatein the movement. We all are witnessing mass protest in our country against the injustice inflictedby the brutalpowerused by some police officers against black people. I fully support the mass movement against racial and social injustice. I believein taking a stand for justice and equality. I do not want to standby as an observer.Ihave spent a good amount of time r... [View Full Comment] Internal change and external change are interconnected. If I focus my energy in participating in the mass movement or collective action blindly and compulsively, I will not be the true participant or agent of change. The change will be on the surfaceand superficial. The wheel of suffering will continue. Deep, true, inward, and voluntary change happens when I deeply, honestly, intelligentlyand freely explore what fundamentally needs to be changed and how I can be an active and dynamic part of this change. Deep and lasting change takes place when there is an alignmentamong Head-intelligent, honest and clear thinking, Heart-love, courage, and compassion, and Hand- action. The three H's need be harmony-the fourth H.
I recall two mass movements in which I had participated-one in India and the other in the USA. The first mass movement was the freedom movement called Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi. It was based on two fundamental principles: Truth and Non-violence. It became a national movement against the unjust British rulers. Gandhijiwas an earnest truth seeker and peace maker. He embodiedhis message: " Be the change you want to have in the world."

The second mass movement in which I participated was a movement against Vietnam war. I was very clear about the goal of the movement. The problem I had in fully participatingin the movement was some of the means that were employed by the leaders of the movement. There was no alignment between the means and the end. I am against using verbal and physical use of violence for attaining justice and peace. I could not fully and whole heatedly participatein the movement.

We all are witnessing mass protest in our country against the injustice inflictedby the brutalpowerused by some police officers against black people. I fully support the mass movement against racial and social injustice. I believein taking a stand for justice and equality. I do not want to standby as an observer.Ihave spent a good amount of time reflecting on what I can do to be a part of this ongoing movement. I am an educator. My work is to educate parents,students, and community about this long standing systemic problem affecting all of us and encourage them for taking action.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'





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Otto Scharmer'sarticle on Four Types of Listening makes me reflect on how do I listen, what's my listening style. "Ya, I know that already." When I readsomething or listen tosomething that I already know, my curiosity level is more on the surface level. As the author writes I am listening by downloading. There is nothing new to learn. It confirms what I already know. Breaking News is mostly not really breaking news. "Ooh, look at that!". This kind of listening has wonderment, something new. It perks my years. It stirs up my curiosity. In the morning when I look out from my window, I marvel when I listen to the birds talking to each other. Though I have heard them talk before but I feel the newness in theirchirping. This happens when I read a poem. It may be a new poem or the poem I haveread before. I wonder from where does this newness emerge? The authorlabels it as Object-focusedor Factual Listening. It does sound right to me. Maybe, I missed the boat! " Oh, yes, I know how you feel!" This is Empathic Listening. This level of listeningrequirescultivation of the intelligence of the heart. When I see an angry or hateful face or a fearful or sad face my I listen from my heart. I empathize with them. Such listening makes me understand the other person on inner and deeper level. " I can't expresswhat I experiencein words". The author names this kindof listening Generative Listening. This kind of listening happens to me when I am in soul-to soul relationshipor spiritual relationship. I am in a Being Zone. I feel at home. I discover my real self. The outer and the innerwalls go away. A deep sense of oneness dawns upon me. I would name it Spiritual Listening. My life journey has gone through different phases of my development. It is an ascending journey with some ups and downs and twist and turns. It is not a straight line. Taking time out tomeditate, introspect and reflect keeps me walking on this path. Namaste! Jagdish ... [View Full Comment] Otto Scharmer'sarticle on Four Types of Listening makes me reflect on how do I listen, what's my listening style. "Ya, I know that already." When I readsomething or listen tosomething that I already know, my curiosity level is more on the surface level. As the author writes I am listening by downloading. There is nothing new to learn. It confirms what I already know. Breaking News is mostly not really breaking news.
"Ooh, look at that!". This kind of listening has wonderment, something new. It perks my years. It stirs up my curiosity. In the morning when I look out from my window, I marvel when I listen to the birds talking to each other. Though I have heard them talk before but I feel the newness in theirchirping. This happens when I read a poem. It may be a new poem or the poem I haveread before. I wonder from where does this newness emerge? The authorlabels it as Object-focusedor Factual Listening. It does sound right to me. Maybe, I missed the boat!
" Oh, yes, I know how you feel!" This is Empathic Listening. This level of listeningrequirescultivation of the intelligence of the heart. When I see an angry or hateful face or a fearful or sad face my I listen from my heart. I empathize with them. Such listening makes me understand the other person on inner and deeper level.
" I can't expresswhat I experiencein words". The author names this kindof listening Generative Listening. This kind of listening happens to me when I am in soul-to soul relationshipor spiritual relationship. I am in a Being Zone. I feel at home. I discover my real self. The outer and the innerwalls go away. A deep sense of oneness dawns upon me. I would name it Spiritual Listening.
My life journey has gone through different phases of my development. It is an ascending journey with some ups and downs and twist and turns. It is not a straight line. Taking time out tomeditate, introspect and reflect keeps me walking on this path.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

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The two words thatstand out from Larry Yang's passage are Freedom and Imperfactions. We all want to be free from suffering, from our limitations created by conditioning of our mind. It is a a journey, a process of making invisiblevisible, a process of moving from non-awakening to awakening. As the author states: " We can't experience awakening without experiencingnot awakening." We cannot see inner light without seeing inner darkness. There is an ancient Vedic prayer which says " Lead from unreal to real, from darkness to light, from mortality to immortality."
We all know that every culture, every society, every family conditions our mind. If we are not awareof the conditioned patterns of mind, we operate on automatic pilot. So the first step is to be aware of habitual conditioned patterns of aware mind. In orderto be freefrom such habitual patterns I need to remain awakeand move towards light.Is it easy? Of course not. There are times when my conditioned mind judges others of different race, culture, and religion. The light of mindful awareness helps me to see my own dark shadow, my unawakened mind, and it facilitates my journey towards light.
Awakening and non-awakening are two sides of the coin of mind and heart. Practicingmindful awareness of my non-awakening helps me to shift from non-wakening or darkness to awakening or light.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Mark Mason's article from Transaction ToTrust made me think deeply. Conditional relationships are transactional relationships. They are bargainingrelationships. They are deal making relationships. Such relationships are normal in the material or worldly world. We may have the same kind of conditional mindset in our personal and interpersonal relationships. Such mindset is based on the following equation: If only when you do this thing for me or if only when I get this then I will be with you. We all know that such a mindset may bring achievement or gratification for a while. Loving relationships are not founded on if when and then equation. They are unconditional. The foundation of such relationships is unshakable trust or faith.Without faith there is no true and enduring love.
I was blessed to have people in my life who mostly related to me unconditionally. The early childhood experiences of unconditional love have built a solid foundation for my personality development. It is my belief based on my experiences that the vibrations of un-conditionality bring non-transactional people together- the law of attraction!
As Mark Mason says, "It is difficult to act unconditionally." Yes. It is not that easy. It requires a shift from transactional mind to trusting heart. According to
the wisdom tradition it requires sadhana-daily mindfulness practice. Trusting others begins with trusting oneself, cultivating faith in oneself- making a gradual
shift with awareness.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Are there two separate identities-the river identity and the ocean identity? Or is there One identity? Outwardly, there appearstwo identities like the river and the ocean. But when they embrace each other and merge into each other, they become one. When I love someone deeply, I become one with her. There are no twos. In pure love there is only one. They may appear two. Pure love creates a union of two and they become one. When I consider myself as body-mind complex, I have a separate identity. Two different names and forms. My true
identity is nameless and formless. According to the ancient Vedanta philosophy, My True identity is Divine identity. It is not bound by my individual identity. When I merge into the ocean of Divinity, I become one with it. We may call it soul identity.
When I got deeply connected with my beloved I felt I was in a different , unfamiliar and unchartered territory. Since I had not traveled on this love path before, at times I felt the fear of the new territory. It did not stay longer. The light of true love dispelled that fear. It brought deep unending joy and fulfillment in me as well as in my beloved. We became one.
When I let go of my ego and open my heart to the other person, I shed my individual body-mind identity, the river identity, I became one with the ocean-like identity. I call it Spiritual Identity. I become mindful when I sense my ego identity arising in my consciousness. I sense the shadow of darkness coming and I mindfully make a shift from darkness to light. I meditate on the Vedic mantra in Sanskrit "Asato ma sad gamaya, tamsormajyotir gamaya, mrityor ma amritamgamaya. Om shantihi, shantihi, shantihi" Lead me from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from mortality to immortality. Om Peace, Peace, Peace!

Namaste!
JagdishP Dave'



unseen teritorry

I deeply resonate with the basic message of this thought provoking passage authored by Robin Wall Kimmerer: " To find something, don't look for it." In Indian philosophy, there is a concept of the Third Eye. That eye reveals the glory and awe of the vastness of the universe. We get a glimpse of it when let go of the limited capacity of our worldly eyes . Worldly eyes sadly create boundaries that separate us from the oneness of life. When we let our inner spiritual eyes open, the truth is revealed. Our inner world expands and welcomesthe guests coming from nowhere. Unconditional love, open-heartedness and open-mindedness open the doors for the unnamed guests to come.
I have had glimpses of such experiences more in my childhood than in my adulthood. I am very fond of spending time with nature. When I was a child I used to sit under a tree that I had planted in my back yard. Sitting under the tree doing nothing and expecting nothing to show up, I used to get glimpses of the beauty unfolding enriching my inner life. When I walk mindfully in nature or do sitting Mindfulness Meditation I get such glimpses that create feelings of wonder and awe.
Reading about such mystical experiencesis one thing. For experiencing the mystery of life I need to keep my mind and heart unoccupied and open to receive blessings coming from the unknown space. This openness helps me to the possibilityof receiving such gifts. There is a wise saying in Sanskrit."Tad dure tad antike". What you think is far, is right close you." Do not look for it outside. It is dwelling inside of you.
Namaste!
JagdishP Dave'

As we grow up we need to make clear choices about many aspects of our life. In order to make wise choices we need to have clear intentions. My decision is usually based on the intention on the ground of good will and greater good not only for me but also for others. That is the main criterion I apply in making important decisions in my life. Have I always made wise choices? Of course not. As a human being I have made mistakes and have made decisions that have hurt me and others close to me. I woke up and and started walking on the right path. To me life is a journey with a clear destination and clear intention.

Making clear and and right choices in our political, social and economic domains has been difficult for me. Our policies and actions are not always based on good will and well being of others. The big egos of the decision makers have been causing a lot of harm to the majority people in our country. When I was young I participated in the movement against Vietnam War. Even though I saw the rightness of this movement I did not go along with the use of violence caused by both sides. I realized how difficult it is when the movement is not grounded in the good will of the people.

Good will and doing greater good for people is the basis on which I make my choices. Remaining awake and mindful of myself has always been very helpful to me in remaining on the path. By nature I am optimist. I believe that the inner light of wisdom will shine and help us to go through the clouds of darkness.
May we all walk on the path of serving people and doing good for others!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

It is my understanding based on my experiences that deep joy comes from facing pain, suffering and hardship rather than running away from it.It is like going through the heat of the fire to experiencecoolness. It sounds counterintuitive and paradoxical. Deep joy is born in the womb of love. Mother goes through the agony and pain of birthing the baby and feels deep joy when the baby comes out from the womb. Such joy is not temporary. The flow of joy keeps on flowing when she raises her baby who goes through passages of life. Her source of deep joy is pure and unconditional love for her child.

Suffering is the first noble truthaccording to the Buddha. We all suffer physically, mentally, emotionally and relationally. I have experienced such suffering through out my life. Such experiences have been beneficial to me. By facing such experiences and by going through them I have become more
empathic, compassionate and kind to myself and to others. I know where, how and why my shoe pinches and that way I have learned where, how andwhy other's shoe pinches. Such knowing comes from facing our suffering with compassion and kindness for ourselves and for others in our lives. Denying, averting or reacting to suffering causes more suffering.

The tree of love grows by nurturing the seeds. Self nurturing and nurturing other folks in my life helps the tree not only to survive but also to flourish. Working on myself mindfully has been very helpful to me. Serving others selflessly has always brought deep joy, contentment, fulfillment, and happiness in my life. In that sense I feel the same way like the author Lynne Twist says: "The harderI work the more I love."
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Sadly, the world we live in has a little time to slow down and has a little time to be silent. Both our outer world and our inner world has a little time to pause, see, listen and contemplate. Both worlds are largely filled with little space and time for emptiness and silence. This essay reminds me of a wise saying stated by the great Indian spiritual teacher Shankaracharya:
Gurostumaunamvyakhyanam, shishyastuchinnaha samshayaha. The teacher observes the silence and the doubtsof the students get dissolved. The teacher is within us. In order to make wise and pure choice and take wise and pure actions, deep inner silence is essential. My father taught us to be silent by repeating the Sanskrit word Shantihi-Peace- three times. When we asked him why three times, he mentioned Peace within-intrabeing, peace between-interbeing, and beyond both- Transcendental being.

Over the years I have learned the power of practicing pause as stated by Victor E.Frankl:" Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." Only reading and understanding is not enough. The knowledge needs to be translated into action and practiced in our daily life, in our daily action. It is our light house-guiding our way of living truthfully and compassionately.

In order to live truthfully and compassionately I practice Mindfulness Meditation. It is my daily spiritual practice. I consider it my Dharma. It keeps me rooted and grounded. This daily spiritual practice helps me to stay grounded in primal presence, primal silence,primal consciousness. This is my way of relating to me and others on a daily basis. Each day is a silent day, a spiritual day, a day of awakening and a day of serving.
Namste!
JagdishP Dave

This essay authored by Kate Murphy reminds me of a saying my father used to say in Sanskrit "Ati parichayatavagna" meaning too much closeness in relationship results in indifference. I often hear parents and children saying" I have heard it before and there is nothing new you're going to say." So they turn their deaf years and miss a great opportunity to listen to each other's evolving story. In any close relationship we should not be bound by the assumptions that the other person is going to play the same record and nothing new is going to emerge. The foundation of intimate relationship is LOVE. Love keeps my heart and mind open to listen to the other sharing his or her evolving life story.

We have an extended family age ranging from 22 to 95. My daughter gets tired of taking care of many things in her everyday life. She gets tired and at times exhausted. She and I are early risers which give us time to talk during our half an hour coffee time. Last Friday she talked about her getting exhausted by doing so many tasks. We came up with an idea of having one hour family meeting on every Saturday morning to listen to each other and create a schedule for the week to lessen the burden of my daughter. We did meet last Saturday. It was an open minded and open hearted communication meeting. She felt so much relieved and grateful for being listened to by all in the family. Her burden is lightened and she gets less tired. We are going to have such weekly meetings for listening to one another and enriching our relationships.

Loving and caring for one another with an open mind and open heart and taking time to listen to each other deepens our understanding of each other and our relationships. Finding time from our busy life for listening deeply is crucial for our family wellbeing.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

The ideas of stability and hospitality are very important as we are going through times of uncertainty, fear and anxiety. We all are facing new challenges. How to make our life stable and relate to these challenges without being uprooted is a BIG question for all of us. Ignoring, denying orminimizing is not the answer. Acknowledgingand accepting what is happening is my way of relating to these challenges. I relax my body and mind regularly, practice mindfulness meditation, go with the flow of the reality as it is, and use the free time I have by helping other people in my life. Serving other people selflessly and doing good work creates loving and kind flow of energy in me.

I am very grateful to the spiritual teachers in my life for teaching me how to be open , stable, grounded, calm, and compassionte. These precious gifts have helped me when I go through darkness in my life. Daily practice of living consciously and mindfully has made my life stable and hospitable. Non-judgmental loving awreeness of myself and others has become my way of living. It is very fulfilling and gratfying.
Namstee!
Jagdish P Dave

We all have the potential to transform ourselves on a small scale or a big scale. We journey through our life at times knowing where we are going, encountering obstacles coming in our way and dealing with them rationally. And there are times in our life when we face opportunities and challenges that we have never encountered before. We are landing in a new world which may baffle us, confuse us, intimidate us. Our rational mind knows no way to relate to the new emerging un -kownworld. There are two ways for us to go through these new doors. Either we shut off our mind and heart or keep them open, inquisitive, wondering, trusting and welcoming the new light entering into our selves. I love the way Chris Corriganwrites about this transformation: " We all are heading into our chrysalises. We have all climbed into cocoons....Have some empathy for the caterpillar who creates its chrysalis and becomes a pupa."
As I had mentioned before life is a journey. Life has given many challenges for me to face, learn and grow. There are times when I tumbled and fell on the ground. At these times, I look within, stay calm and grounded. The universe is sending me a message to remain open and patient to listen to my inner voice.The inner voice of wisdom guides me to receive the blessings of self-transformation. I feel very grateful for the gift that I receive from the loving kind universe. Life is wonderful!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave

The Coronavirus presents a great challenge to all of us for safety and survival.Whose safety and whose survival? The little ego says " the safety and survival for me at the cost of others." When we face a huge crisis we need to go beyond our little ego. This is a call to all of us to learn how to tackle personal or collective crisis. How to grow from it? All wisdom traditions emphasize to offer selfless service to those who need. When we go beyond our ego, when we close the " smoke whole", we get connected with the divine world within us. It opens the door of compassion, generosity and unconditional love., the Divine Love.

I always find time and a quiet place to do Mindfulness Meditation. I seek solitude to practice Mindfulness Meditation for quieting my inner noise, the busy and chattering mind, to connect with the marvelous, the Divine Light within me. The marvelous Divine Light guides me to walk on the path of serving others.

Like others, I miss walking on the spiritual path and lose my connection with the Divine within me. I go to sleep. Unconsciously I dim the light within me. My pure consciousness shrinks. It is covered by darkness. I wake up and open my inner door and invite the Divine Light to guide me.
Namste!
Jagdish P Dave'

A tree is born in the womb of a seed. The seed is invisible though it is there in a dormant state. So is the life. Our life is pregnant with unseen and unknown meanings. We need to relate to this dimension of our life with open mind and open heart, open eyes and open ears to see and hear and feel the wonder and awe of life. Our life gets nourished, enriched and expanded by embracing the manifestation of beauty, wonder and awe.
I will always remember the experience I had in a Zen retreat. While doing sitingMindfulness Meditation I saw myself flying in the open sky with my feet
firmly planted in the solid ground of the Mother Earth. This experience taught me not to confine myself to the limited and narrow mindset and heart set I was used to. I realized the meaning, value and the power of the "beginner's mind." The mind that is not bound by preconceived notions, opinions and assumptions. It is not attached to and bound by the chains of the past and lost in the worries of the future. The present moment is free from the right and the wrong. It is an open meeting space in which life blossoms and offers gifts of love, joy, compassion, and kindness to others.
I am very grateful to the gifts of naturethat I receive everyday in my life. I watch the sun rising and setting, smell the fragrance of flowers, birds chirping, rain falling and the earth keeping me grounded. Sadly, how often we take the gifts of nature granted and miss offering our gratitude to nature.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'

Sound of Silence! In the noisy and busy world of doing and having, we tend forget to listen to the inner quiet and wise voice of the heart, the soul. Our minds get filled with fear, anger, annoyance, grievance, blame and despair. In the times of crisis we need to center down and let our bodies and minds be quiet, calm and clear. We need to turn off our agitated bodies and minds and create to listen to the voice of silence filled with empathy, compassion, kindness and love. We are encountering such challenging and testing times right in front of our eyes.. Can we go beyond our self-serving mind set and heart set and become brothers keepers? These are the times when we go beyond our self-created boundaries and relate to each other as children of God? This way we can shift of our mind set from me to we. As the poet Lynn Ungarwrites " Promise this world your love- for better or worse, in sickness and in health, so long as we all shall live."

Structuresof body and mind change slowly and at times drastically like the times we are facing now. I see and experience the openings of hearts welcoming, helping and caring for people impacted by this calamity.
Such experiencesfill my heart with gratitude. Such acts of love and compassion make the world sacred and beautiful.

Giving myself quiet time to fade away noises of mind helps me to be connected with my heart which is the abode of love, generosity, compassion and warmth.
Jagdish P Dave'
Namaste!