PAYING IT FORWARD

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

meghna.mukherjee@timesgroup.com

A recent study of behavioral psychology concluded that greed mostly overrides generosity.But in a fast-paced,material world,the need to believe in the spirit of giving,multiplies. Meghna Mukherjee re-evaluates what it means to be generous

A recent experiment conducted in the US showed that greed is a far more powerful emotion than generosity in today's world.Moral psychologist Kurt Gray,who led the study along with researchers at the Harvard University,observed through various experiments that people who were victims of greed had a strong tendency to repay a future recipient with the same greed.But when the same people benefited from an act of generosity,they didn't have the urge to pay it forward.

In an evers o - cy n i c a l world,its a wo r r i s o m e revelation.At a time when compassion and empathy are on a steadfast decline,and the disparity between the haves and the havenots is too in-your-face to ignore;the need to see generosity as a positive emotion,multiplies.Why and how did generosity lose its appeal over the years

Gray explains: Greed is more powerful than true generosity because negative emotions are more powerful than positive ones.We live in bodies and minds designed to be more influenced by negatives.Evolution designed us so that we took notice of negative things in our environment and sought to change them. Popular culture has made bad,wicked,nasty terms cool whereas goodness is frowned upon.Its a loser trait.Dr Sarala Bijapurkar,associate professor of sociology,KJ Somaiya College,Mumbai,says,In our material world,generosity is an alien word.Most people think generosity and money are always linked.Thats why so much cynicism has set in.

Digital descent

Our digital lives have played a big part in reducing the empathy and compassion we once had as individuals.Edna Rienzi,a generosity volunteer based in the US,says,Generosity focuses on the connection between individuals.Although we can connect with hundreds of people through social media,the opportunities to connect with one another face to face seem harder to find.

She cites an example: Earlier,at

my childrens school,parents would speak to one another while waiting for the kids to come out.We would offer kind words and support to each other,and these moments brightened my day.Now,almost everyone stays in their cars,hunched over their phones rather than with the people they see on a daily basis.

Pratyush Rajvanshi,a generosity volunteer in Delhi,says,In the ancient times,based on available texts,people understood that being generous was a vital factor in a human beings personal growth.They consciously practised these values,and they were a part of their inherent nature.These practices were passed on to us,and and we continued to live them;but,perhaps,we overlooked the wisdom behind the act.Henceforward most acts of generosity got diluted and a lot of cynicism set in.But now,we have started feeling empty inside.So we are again reviving the past wisdom and practices,especially generosity.

Generosity does not require grand gestures.Gray advises everyone to acknowledge even the little things others do to make a positive impact on their lives.The more grateful we are of others helping us,the more likely we are to pay it forward, he says.

Rienzi adds,Often,generosity is just a matter of being considerate.You can hold the door open for the person behind you.You can leave a large tip for a waitress who is working hard.When someone is speaking,you can give them your full attention.All these are generous acts that do not require time or energy.And,once you start taking these small steps,you will probably be tempted to make time for larger acts.

Social responsibility

That is not to say the people with means shouldnt pay it forward with money.The world over,some of the richest people are also the biggest philanthropists.Some of them have pledged half of their billion-dollar fortunes for the development of the other half.For instance,tech tycoon Azim Premji ranked Indias third richest person with a fortune of over $13 billion announced two months ago that he was donating $2.2 billion to his education-focussed trust Giving Pledge.

Even the corporate sector in India has made positive steps to build a future that entails empathy as one of the driving forces for a better future.The Revised Companies Bill,passed by the Lok Sabha recently,will make India the first country in the world to make corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure mandatory all successful companies will soon have to set aside and use 2 per cent of their profits towards the upliftment of society ecological and social.

The need of the hour,however,is for people to believe and engage in acts of generosity without it being a mandate.Since most things,like charity,begin at home,its still an adults responsibility to inculcate values like compassion and the spirit of giving early in a childs life.

American writer and philanthropist Gray Keller believes we live in an age where generosity should be a part of school curriculums.Since most of us are selfish by nature,we must be taught to give and share from an early age;like children learn to share their toys.

Times Life, Sunday May 5, 2013

Think: The central principle of meditation

“This is the central principle of meditation: we become what we meditate on.” EKNATH EASWARAN (1910–1999)

Thinking Cap: The mark of an educated mind - Aristotle

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

― Aristotle, Metaphysics

Make Your Mind Powerful With Yoga

Radhika Ravi Ranjan

Our mind can be the solution to our problems or the source of all our problems, says Dr Swami Shankardev Saraswati. It is where all our thoughts arise, where ideas concretise, where we decide whether we are happy or sad. Therefore, harnessing our mind and our thoughts is crucial to our sense of well-being and happiness.

When the mind is silent and peaceful, it becomes very powerful. It can become a receptor of bliss and wisdom, enabling life to become a spontaneous flow and expression of joy and harmony. However, this inner silence cannot arise while there is a continual stream of disturbing thoughts and emotions. All this inner noise has to be removed before one can truly experience the soundless sound of inner silence.

This silence of the mind can be achieved through yoga. The aim of all yoga is to help people unfold their potential and become relaxed, strong and integrated beings. The first step is managing the mind. He says most people come to a yoga class without having worked with their minds.

Indeed, many people find that their mind is their biggest problem, because it is undeveloped and undisciplined. Majority of the people are forever seeking methods to calm and manage their minds. This is not an easy task primarily because the mind is a vast, luminous and creative power.

According to Dr Saraswati, it is because the mind is so powerful that it is difficult to manage. The untrained mind has been likened to a wild horse. Once tamed, it is a great friend; but untamed, it is a wild animal that can turn on us.

An untrained and undisciplined mind is a jumble of chaotic thoughts and feelings that can lead to poor perception, confusion and destructive emotions. A trained and disciplined mind, on the other hand, is a powerful tool that can think clearly, solve creatively and work to realise its desires and dreams.

There are methods in yoga by which people can discipline as well as enlighten their minds. Gradually, they become masters of powerful, happy, compassionate, and heart-centered minds.

Before one controls the mind, one must know the mind. The human mind has two parts - the lower and the higher. The lower mind is connected to the senses and allows us to conduct ourselves in the world. This, therefore, becomes our thinking mind. The higher mind is the subtle mind that links us to our higher consciousness. This, therefore, becomes our intuitive mind.

The lower mind has three main components: a rational, thinking mind, called manas in Sanskrit, a memory bank called chitta, and an ego or sense of individuality called ahamkara. Manas measures sense impressions and stores these in our chitta. The build-up of these impressions creates our ahamkara, our sense of who we are as human personalities.

The higher mind is called buddhi. It is connected to consciousness and has the characteristics of intelligence, intuition, knowledge, faith, generosity, compassion and wisdom. Usually, it is dominated by the louder and more compelling lower mind.

A yoga teacher can impart techniques about how the higher mind or buddhi can regulate the workings of the lower mind.

A monkey mind is precisely that - that which cannot be controlled easily and that which will behave impulsively and rashly, with no logical process. An undeveloped mind has been called the monkey mind for just those reasons. It is dominated by tamas, or darkness, represented by selfish thoughts, worry, insecurity, greed, rage, and petty judgments. Emotions and desires can erupt at any time, compelling one to act and react. When the monkey mind starts jumping around, the buddhi falls asleep.

Yogic and meditative processes help calm down the thoughts and emotions arising in our mind and allow the deeper and subtler intuitive elements to manifest. In yoga, the usual way to achieve our goal is to focus on the centre-point between the eyebrows, also called the third eye or ajna chakra. This is the point that controls both the higher mind as well as the lower mind.

One way to focus on the third eye is to chant Om. The root sound has a magical effect on the meditative process. Begin by sitting in a comfortable posture and emptying your mind of all thoughts. Then, direct attention to the eyebrow centre and visualise a point of light at this place. Now, chant the Om mantra for as long as your breath allows. Then simply sit in silence, noticing your state of deep relaxation and peace.

Another way to focus on the crucial eyebrow centre is to breathe through alternate nostrils, the yog called Pranayam. Inhale through one nostril, exhale through the other. Do the same with the other.

www.speakingtree.in

NirvanaShatkam- The Essense of Vedanta by Shankaracharya

The Atma_shatkam (Devanāgarī: आत्मषट्कम्) is also known as Nirvana Shatkam (Devanāgarī: निर्वाणषट्कम्) and by other variations of these names. It is a śloka in six stanzas written by the great Ādi Śaṅkara (first Shankaracharya) summarizing the basic teachings of Advaita Vedanta, or the Hindu teachings of non-dualism. It was written around 788-820 CE. He mastered the Vedas by the age of 6. This shows he is a re-incarnation, as Vedas take a whole lifetime to master.

When a young boy of eight (Adi Sankara), while wandering in the Himalayas, seeking to find his Guru, he encountered a sage who asked him, "Who are you?". The boy answered with these stanzas, which are known as "Nirvana Shatakam" or Atma Shatakam".

The sage the boy was talking to was Swami Govindpada Acharya, who was, indeed, the teacher he was looking for. These few verses can be of tremendous value to progress in contemplation practices that lead to Self-Realization.

"Nirvana" is complete equanimity, peace, tranquility, freedom and joy. "Atma" is the True Self.

The speaker of the poem is nominally Śiva, but it is generally seen as a statement by a knowing person of identity with Śiva or Brahmān. The speaker lists in the earlier verses what he (or Brahmān) is not. He is not body or mind, nor the things that attach them to each other and to the world, including the intellect, the senses, the practices of life, the occurrences of life such as birth and death. In the last verse he says that he permeates the universe, and that he is consciousness, bliss and the soul, and by implication, the Atman and Brahmān.

निर्वाण षटकम् (मूल संस्कृत)	निर्वाण षटकम् (हिंदी भावानुवाद)	NirvanaShatkam (English)
मनोबुद्ध्यहंकारचित्तानि नाहं न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे।न च व्योमभूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः चिदानंदरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्॥१॥	मैं मन, बुद्धि, अहंकार और स्मृति नहीं हूँ, न मैं कान, जिह्वा, नाक और आँख हूँ। न मैं आकाश, भूमि, तेज और वायु ही हूँ, मैं चैतन्य रूप हूँ, आनंद हूँ, शिव हूँ, शिव हूँ ॥१॥	I am not mind, intellect, ego or repository of memories. I am not ear, tongue, nose or the eyes. I am not space, earth, fire or air. I am of the form of aliveness, eternal bliss, auspiciousness. I am Shiva. ॥1॥
न च प्राणसंज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायुः न वा सप्तधातुर्न वा पञ्चकोशाः।न वाक्पाणिपादं न चोपस्थपायू चिदानंदरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम् ॥२॥	न मैं मुख्य प्राण हूँ और न ही मैं पञ्च प्राणों (प्राण, उदान, अपान, व्यान, समान) में  कोई हूँ, न मैं सप्त धातुओं (त्वचा, मांस, मेद, रक्त, पेशी, अस्थि, मज्जा) में कोई हूँ और न पञ्च कोशों (अन्नमय, मनोमय, प्राणमय, विज्ञानमय, आनंदमय) में से कोई, न मैं वाणी, हाथ, पैर हूँ और न मैं जननेंद्रिय या गुदा हूँ, मैं चैतन्य रूप हूँ, आनंद हूँ, शिव हूँ, शिव हूँ ॥२॥	I am not principal life force (prana) or any of the five pranas (Prana, udana, apana, vyan, saman). I am not any of the seven constituents (skin, flesh, fat, blood, muscle, bone, marrow) of the body or any of the five sheaths (annamaya, manomaya, pranamaya, vigyanmaya, anandmaya). I am not speech, hands, feet, genitals or anus. I am of the form of aliveness, eternal bliss, auspiciousness. I am Shiva. ॥2॥
न मे द्वेषरागौ न मे लोभ मोहौ मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभावः।न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्षः चिदानंदरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्॥३॥	न मुझमें राग और द्वेष हैं, न ही लोभ और मोह, न ही मुझमें मद है न ही ईर्ष्या की  भावना, न मुझमें धर्म, अर्थ, काम और मोक्ष ही हैं, मैं चैतन्य रूप हूँ, आनंद हूँ, शिव हूँ, शिव हूँ ॥३॥	I am devoid of aversion, attachment, greed, delusion, pride or jealousy. I am beyond four major goals of life, righteousness, wealth, pleasure or liberation. I am of the form of aliveness, eternal bliss, auspiciousness. I am Shiva. ॥3॥
न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखम् न मंत्रो न तीर्थ न वेदा न यज्ञाः।अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता चिदानंदरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्॥४॥	न मैं पुण्य हूँ, न पाप, न सुख और न दुःख, न मन्त्र, न तीर्थ, न वेद और न यज्ञ, मैं न भोजन हूँ, न खाया जाने वाला हूँ और न खाने वाला हूँ, मैं चैतन्य रूप हूँ, आनंद हूँ, शिव हूँ, शिव हूँ ॥४॥	I am beyond virtues, sins, joy or sorrow. I am beyond mantras, pilgrimage, Vedas or yagyas. I am not food, eatable, or its eater. I am of the form of aliveness, eternal bliss, auspiciousness. I am Shiva. ॥4॥
न मे मृत्युशंका न मे जातिभेदः पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्म।न बन्धुर्न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्यः चिदानंदरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम् ॥५॥	न मुझे मृत्यु का भय है, न मुझमें जाति का कोई भेद है, न मेरा कोई पिता ही है, न कोई माता ही है, न मेरा जन्म हुआ है, न मेरा कोई भाई है, न कोई मित्र, न कोई गुरु ही है और न ही कोई शिष्य,  मैं चैतन्य रूप हूँ, आनंद हूँ, शिव हूँ, शिव हूँ ॥५॥	I have no fear of death or distinction of caste. I have no father or mother. I am unborn. I have no brothers, friends, master or disciples. I am of the form of aliveness, eternal bliss, auspiciousness. I am Shiva. ॥5॥
अहं निर्विकल्पो निराकाररूपः विभुर्व्याप्य सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम्।सदा मे समत्वं न मुक्तिर्न बन्धः चिदानंदरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्॥६॥	मैं समस्त संदेहों से परे, बिना किसी आकार वाला, सर्वगत, सर्वव्यापक, सभी इन्द्रियों को व्याप्त करके स्थित हूँ, मैं सदैव समता में स्थित हूँ, न मुझमें मुक्ति है और न बंधन, मैं चैतन्य रूप हूँ, आनंद हूँ, शिव हूँ, शिव हूँ ॥६॥	I am beyond all doubts, formless, all-pervading, everywhere and surround all sense organs. I am always established in equanimity. There is no liberation or bondage in me. I am of the form of aliveness, eternal bliss, auspiciousness. I am Shiva.॥6॥

English Transliteration:

Mano Budhyahankaar Chitani Naaham, Na Cha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghraana netre
Na Cha Vyoma Bhumir Na Tejo Na Vayuh, Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham

Na Cha Praana Sanjno Na Vai Pancha Vaayuhu, Na Vaa Sapta Dhaatur Na Va Pancha Koshah
Na Vaak Paani Paadau Na Chopasthapaayuh, Chidaananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham

Na Me Dvesha Raagau Na Me Lobha Mohau, Mado Naiva Me Naiva Maatsarya Bhaavah
Na Dharmo Na Chaartho Na Kaamo Na Moksha, Chidaananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham

Na Punyan Na Paapan Na Saukhyan Na Dukham, Na Mantro Na Tirthan Na Vedaah Na Yajnaah
Aham Bhojanan Naiv Bhojyan Na Bhoktaa, Chidaananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham

Na Mrityur Na Shanka Na Me Jaati Bhedah, Pitaa Naiva Me Naiva Maataa Na Janma
Na Bandhur Na Mitram Guru Naiva Shishyah, Chidaananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham

Aham Nirvikalpo Niraakaara Rupo, Vibhutvaaccha Sarvatra Sarvendriyaanaam
Na Chaa Sangatan Naiva Muktir Na meyah Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham

Compact meaning from geetganga.org :

1) I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego, nor the reflections of inner self. I am not the five senses. I am beyond that. I am not the ether, nor the earth, nor the fire, nor the wind (i.e. the five elements). I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness. 

2) Neither can I be termed as energy (Praana), nor five types of breath (Vaayu), nor the seven material essences (dhaatu), nor the five coverings (panca-kosha). Neither am I the five instruments of elimination, procreation, motion, grasping, or speaking. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness. 

3) I have no hatred or dislike, nor affiliation or liking, nor greed, nor delusion, nor pride or haughtiness, nor feelings of envy or jealousy. I have no duty (dharma), nor any money, nor any desire (refer: kama), nor even liberation (refer: moksha). I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness. 

4) I have neither virtue (punya), nor vice (paapa). I do not commit sins or good deeds, nor have happiness or sorrow, pain or pleasure. I do not need mantras, holy places, scriptures, rituals or sacrifices (yajna). I am none of the triad of the observer or one who experiences, the process of observing or experiencing, or any object being observed or experienced. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness. 

5) I do not have fear of death, as I do not have death. I have no separation from my true self, no doubt about my existence, nor have I discrimination on the basis of birth. I have no father or mother, nor did I have a birth. I am not the relative, nor the friend, nor the guru, nor the disciple. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness. 

6) I am all pervasive. I am without any attributes, and without any form. I have neither attachment to the world, nor to liberation. I have no wishes for anything because I am everything, everywhere, every time, always in equilibrium. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness. 

Source List:   1. Wikipedia  page
                         2. geetganga.org
                         3. vedicscripturesinc (google site)

Random thoughts- by Ramananda

Work is its own reward. You don't  have  to wait  for things  to HAPPEN. The mundane,  routine , predictable  can transform  into something  magical.

Do not form opinion  about others. As sooner or later you are bound to revise  them.  Live light. King size!

Find what you love or love what you have- Anonymous

Accept  the things  as they are. Face the reality. In the process  if change is necessary, change  yourself. It is very difficult  to change  others.
 
Be self centered. The more you are centered, the less you depend  on outside things  and situations. It is the beginning  of peace and contentment in your life.

Sant Surdas: The great Bhakti poet

Surdas (Sant Kavi Surdas) was a 15th century blind saint, poet and musician, known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. Surdas is said to have written and composed a hundred thousand songs in his magnum opus the 'Sur Sagar' (Ocean of Melody), out of which only about 8,000 are extant. He is considered a saint and so also known as Sant Surdas, a name which literally means the "slave of melody". 

Early life 

Surdas was born in 1478 in Runkta near Agra. While some say it is village Sihi, Faridabad, Haryana. He started parsing Lord Krishna since he was young . There is a little disagreement regarding the exact birth date of Surdas, some scholars believe it to be 1478 AD, while others believe it to be 1479 AD. As per the limited authentic life history of Surdas, it is said that he lived in Braj(or Bhraj), near Mathura. Surdas was born blind and because of this, he was neglected by his family. As a result, he left his home at tender age of six. 

Surdas's Guru - Shri Vallabharacharya 

A chance meeting with the saint Vallabharacharya at Gau Ghat by the river Yamuna in his teens transformed his life. Shri Vallabhacharya taught Surdas lessons in Hindu philosophy and meditation and put him in the path of spirituality. Since Surdas could recite the entire Srimad Bhagavatam and was musically inclined, his guru advised him to sing the 'Bhagavad Lila' - devotional lyrical ballads in praise of Lord Krishna and Radha. Surdas lived in Vrindavan with his guru, who initiated him to his own religious order, and later appointed him as the resident singer at Srinath temple in Govardhan. 

Surdas attains fame 

Surdas' lilting music and fine poetry attracted many laurels. As his fame spread far and wide, the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542-1605) became his patron. Surdas spent the last years of his life in Braj, the place of his birth and lived on the donations, which he received in return of his bhajan singing and lecturing on religious topics, until he died in c. 1586. 

Great devotion for lord Krishna

Surdas also attained fame for his purity of devotion towards Lord Krishna. In one incident, Surdas falls into a well and is rescued by Lord Krishna when he calls him for help. Radha asks Krishna why he helped Surdas for which Krishna says its for his devotion. Krishna also warns Radha not to go near him. She however goes near him but Surdas, recognizing the divine sounds, pulls her anklets. Radha tells him who she is but Surdas refuses to return her anklets stating that he cannot believe her as he is blind. Krishna gives Surdas vision and allows him to ask for a boon. Surdas returns the anklets says he has already got what he wanted (the blessings of Krishna) and asks Krishna to make him blind again as he does not want to see anything else in the world after seeing Krishna. Radha is moved by his devotion and Krishna grants his wish by making him blind again thus giving him everlasting fame. 

One of the popular poems by Surdas

अखियाँ हरि दर्शन की प्यासी । 

देखो चाहत कमल नयन को, निस दिन रहत उदासी ॥ 

केसर तिलक मोतिन की माला, वृंदावन के वासी । 

नेहा लगाए त्यागी गये तृण सम, डारि गये गल फाँसी ॥ 

काहु के मन की कोऊ का जाने, लोगन के मन हाँसी । 

सूरदास प्रभु तुम्हरे दरस बिन लेहों करवत कासी ॥ 

Meaning:

Our eyes thirst for a vision of Hari; 

They long to see the lotus-eyed one, 

Grieving for him day and night. 

Wearing a saffron tilak and pearl garland 

And dwelling in Vrindavan, 

He gave us his love, then cast us aside like a blade of grass, 

Throwing a noose around our necks. 

No one knows what is in another's mind, 

There is laughter in people's hearts; 

But Lord of Surdas, without a vision of you 

we would give up our very lives. 

Source: Wikipedia