HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Our life is frittered away by detail …… simplify, simplify!

 

Somewhere in the woods along the shores of Walden Pond an owl screeched, and far off another answered. The moon was bright, the water still as glass. Henry Thoreau sat in the moon filled doorway of his shack, looking out across the stillness and brightness of the lake. “this is the spot I love above all other on earth” he thought.  

Here, in the quiet and peace of Walden Woods, a man could live simply and deliberately – shearing off all the unessentials and getting down to the basic truths of life. Here, in the solitude, living close to nature, a man could examine his ideas, think things through, and perhaps come to some reasonable conclusion about the meaning and purpose of life.  

He turned back to the open notebook on his knees and read the last few words he had written : “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation …. “ 

A squirrel came stealthily from the woods and sat watching him, wide-eyed and friendly. All above him were the soft, gentle sounds of nature, stirring, whispering, ushering in the night.  

“I am convinced from experience that to maintain oneself on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely . . . Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. . . " 

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MALICE TO NONE, CHARITY FOR ALL

WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE,  WITH CHARITY FOR ALL….

 

The fourth of March, 1865, stated out to be dull and rainy. But later in the day it cleared; and it turned out to be pleasant after all for the President Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration.  

The streets were filled with milling crowds of people, with cavalry patrols and police. The inauguration platform had been built on the east front of the Capitol; and here there was a vast sea of humanity, stretching as far as the eye could see, filling the great plaza and flooding out into the grounds beyond. As the President appeared and took his place on the platform, a tremendous roar swept the crowd, rolling back like thunder to outer edges, loud and prolonged.  

Abraham Lincoln had not expected such an ovation. He has not, in fact, expected to be re-elected at all. No man in American history had been so hated and reviled, so bitterly denounced, as he had been these past four years. They had been difficult years- years of great struggle and suffering, of agony and bloodshed. He had taken over the leadership of the country at a time of grave crisis, and had given his best efforts to maintaining and preserving the Union – the only thing that really mattered.  

But he had been misunderstood, condemned, humiliated in public and in private, assailed alike by friend and foe. One newspaper had called him “the obscene ape of Illinois.” Horace Greeley had written an editorial demanding his withdrawal in favour of another candidate, declaring : Mr. Lincoln is already beaten. He can never be elected.” His life had been threatened over and over again. Even today, though every precautions had been taken, he knew there were many who feared for his safety.  

No, he had not expected to be re-elected… not even with the high tide of the confederacy broken and victory at last in sight. With Grant’s vise closing on Lee, and Sherman moving up from the south, it was clear the war was almost over. But he felt no elation, either at the recent victories in the war or his unexpected victory at the polls. He saw the hand of God in both these events and was humbly grateful for the chance now given him to complete his great task. He harbored no resentments, had no slightest wish for retaliation against those who had cruelly slandered and abused him. He had one interest only : to conciliate the rebellious states and to rebuild the Union he had sworn to preserve.  

The great crowd fell silent as he stepped forward to make his address. The sun, which had been obscured all day, suddenly burst through the clouds and flooded the scene with brightness. He spoke slowly and clearly, his voice vibrant with emotion, aware of the great importance of this moment and the potential influence of his words on the nation. 

“On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war …. All knew that slavery was, somehow the cause of the war. …Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it had already attained … Each looked for an easier triumph … Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other… .. it may seem strange that any man should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged… The Almighty has His own purposes…… “ 

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FORGIVING..

To err is human; to forgive is divine.

                            … Allexander Pope

You must forgive those who transgress against you before you can look to forgiveness from above.

                             ….Talmud

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

                                … The Lord’s Prayer

Life is short and we have not too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark way with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind!

                                … Henri F. Amiel

Life is too short to be little.

                                … Benjamin Disraeli

There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favourable circumstances. But the only time that is surely yours is the present, hence this is the time to speak the word of appreciation and sympathy, to do the generous deed, to forgive the fault of a thoughtless friend, to sacrifice self a little more for others. Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed, and to use your God-given abilities for the enrichment of some less fortunate fellow traveler. Today you can make your life  . . . . significant and worth while. The present is yours to do with it as you will. 

                                       …..Grenville Kleiser 

In this life, if you have anything to pardon, pardon quickly. Slow forgiveness is little better than no forgiveness.

                                        … Sir Arthur W. Pinero

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end;

Yet days go by, and weeks rush on,

And before I know it a year is gone,

And I never see my old friend’s face,

For life is a swift and terrible race.

He knows I like him just as well

As in the days when I rang his bell

And he rang mine. We were younger then,

And now we are busy, tired men:

Tired with playing a foolish game,

Tired with trying to make a name.

“Tomorrow” I say, ‘I will call him Jim,

Just to show that I am thinking of him.”

But tomorrow comes – and tomorrow goes,

And the distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner – yet miles away . . .

“Here’s a telegram, Sir . . .

                        “ Jim died today.” 

And that’s what we get, and deserve in the end :

Around the corner, a vanished friend.

                           ….. Charles Hanson Towne
 

As usual, the great church was filled. Phillips Brooks faced the enormous, hushed congregation as he had so many times before, Sunday after Sunday—the expectant, well-dressed congregation waiting for his weekly message.

He looked into the faces of men and women he long had known, men and women who had come to him with their problems, who had asked for his help and guidance. How well he knew what seethed behind the pleasant, smiling masks of their Sunday-best respectability! How well he knew the petty spites that embittered their hearts, the animosities that set neighbor against neighbor, the silly quarrels that were kept alive, he jealousies and misunderstanding, the stubborn pride.

Today his message was for those bitter, unbending ones who refused to forgive and forget. He must make them realize that life is too short to nurse grievances, to harbor grudges and resentments. He would plead for tolerance and understanding, for sympathy and kindness. He would plead for brotherly love.

“Oh, my dear friends!” he said… and it was as though he spoke to each separately and alone :

“You who are letting miserable misunderstanding run on from year to year, meaning to clear them up some day ;

You who are keeping wretched quarrels alive because you cannot quite make up your mind that now is the day to sacrifice your pride and kill them;

You who are passing men sullenly upon the street, not speaking to them out of some silly spite, and yet knowing that it would fill you with shame and remorse if you heard that one of those men were dead tomorrow morning;

You who are letting your neighbor starve, till you hear that he is dying of starvation;

Or letting your friend’s heart ache for a word of appreciation or sympathy, which you mean to give him someday; if you only could know and see and feel, all of a sudden, that “the time is short,” how it would break the spell! How you would go instantly and do the thing which you might never have another chance to do.” 

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HAPPINESS

The grand essentials to happiness in this life are –

              Something to do,

           Someone to love, and

          Something to hope for.

                                     .... Joseph Addison 

I created you human being because-

I desire to see you lead a joyous life. 

Man still wishes to be happy even when he so lives,

As to make happiness impossible.  

Happiness is a conscious choice,

Not an automatic response. 

Most folks are about as happy as

they make up their minds to be.

                                ....... Abraham Lincoln 

Being happy does not mean everything is perfect,

It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections.

                                                ... Albert Camus 

To be happy is the ultimate goal of all ambition, all endeavour, all hopes and plans. “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence,” declared Aristotle, supreme philosopher of the ancient world.

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LOVE

Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination

nor both together go to the making of genius.

Love, Love, Love, that is the soul of genius.

 

For those who passionately love,

The whole world seems to smile.

                        … David Myers

 

A fool in love makes no sense to me,

I only think you are a fool if you don’t love.

                        …… Sigmund Freud

 

If you love someone, set them free.

If they come back they’re yours;

If they don’t they never were.

......Richard Bach

We never hopelessly unhappy

as when we lose love.

                        ….. Sigmund Freud

 

It is better to have loved and lost,

Than never to have loved at all..

                                .... Alfred Tennyson

 

Love is always about open arms,

If you close your arms around love,

You will be left holding only yourself.

 

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DISCOVER YOURSELF

Many of us are now at the place where we have no alternative but to be true to ourselves...

We come to this world to experience our own reality- to learn who we are by being what we thought would be best for us. Eventually most of us reach a place where we are not so content with doing our lives in the old ways. Most people may never recognise this state when it happens. They may go on doing life as they always have until they die discontented. Life is intended to be lived here in great joy with great wisdom, and with energy abounding.

Why then do so many people live in a state of fear, or exhaustion, or depression? It’s often because they are not living the true life they came here to live and their mind and body know it. They know it on such a deep level that they cannot keep themselves from feeling discomfort. I know that for me there were many years in which I sensed that I was not doing my life exactly as I needed. I was either in the wrong profession, living in the wrong place, or with the wrong people, or trying to convince myself that I was happy. It wasn’t working. I knew in my heart that I don’t have time to continue living that way, that if I did I would never be happy or fulfil my life’s purpose.

Today, I have reached a place where I feel relatively content with my life, though many people living in the old ways might be prone to wonder. I am living so far outside the box of typical human existence that I often make no sense to them. Because now i see my life a joyous walk through a beautiful hand, encumbered only by my own ability to express joy and give and receive love.

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LOVE AND MEDITATION

Love means art of being with others.

Meditation means the art of being with yourself.

A person who does not know how to be with himself cannot timely relate with others, his relationship will be awakened , graceless, ugly, haphazard, accidental.

A person who is not capable of being with other, of relating, will find it very difficult to relate with himself. Because the art of relating is the same—whether you relate with others or you relate with yourself does not make any difference, it is the same art.

Both the arts have to be learned together, simultaneously, they are inseparable.  Be with the people and not unconsciously, but very consciously. Relate with people as if you are singing a song. As if you are playing on a flute.

Each person has to be thought as a musical instrument. Respect, love worship…..

“Because each person is a hidden face of God.”

Change your ways;

Beautify life around yourself.

Let every person feel that the meeting with you is a gift –

Just being with you something starts flowing .. glowing..

Something start arising in the heart,

Some flowers start opening.

And when you are alone, than sit utterly silent,

Absolutely silent and watch yourself;

Watch your breathing, one’s thoughts,

One’s memories- slowly, slowly,

Great awareness explodes…

One becomes full of light within.

This is the art of meditation.  

TEN KEYS TO HAPPINESS

Physical wellbeing is inseparable from emotional well being. Happy people are healthy people.  The wisdom traditions of the world tell us that happiness does not depend on what you have, but on who you are. In an era of materialism, it may be worthwhile to reflect on what really creates happiness in us. The following ten keys, gleaned from the wisdom of traditions may give us some insight.

1.    Listen to your body’s wisdom, which expresses itself through signals of comfort and discomfort. When choosing certain behaviour, ask your body. “how do you feel about this?” If your body sends a signal of comfort and eagerness, proceed.

2.     Live in present, for it is the only moment you have. Keep your attention on what on here and now;  look for the fullness in every moment.  Accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and the let it go. The present is as it should be. It reflects infinite laws of nature that have brought you this exact physical response.  This moment is as it is because the universe is as it is. Don’t struggle with the infinite scheme of things; instead, be at one with it.

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SIMPLE MEDITATION

Meditation is nothing but a hearty breathing in more meaningful, delightful and regularly without disturbing.

Before going to sleep put off the light, sit on your bed, close your eyes and exhale through the mouth with a sound ‘oh’. I am saying simple ‘oh’. It will become ‘oum’ automatically. And this sound ‘aum’ is the deepest sound, the most harmonious, the most basic.

When it happens and you enjoy and you flow in its music your whole body and brain relax. With the sound ‘aum’ you will go on relaxing and your sleep will have a different quality.

When you exhaled completely and you feel that now no more exhalation is possible, the whole breath has gone out, stop for a single moment. Don’t inhale, don’t exhale—just stop for a single moment and be a witness – just look what is happening. Witness the whole situation, there in, that single stopped moment. Time is no more there, because time moves with the breaths, breathing is the process of time. In that stopping you can aware of the deepest source of your being and energy. So for a moment stop. Then inhale.

Inhalation is equivalent to life, exhalation equivalent to death. So exhale as totally as possible; that will give you a death moment. That is beautiful because a death moment is the most silent, the most peaceful- that is NIRVANA. Then let the body inhale to the full, and then stop that moment is a life moment- feel it and feel both. That is why I say stop twice- when you have exhaled and when you have inhaled – So you can feel both life and death. These two moments are very significant, you know this is life and this is death. You have transcended both.

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LIFE PLUS

A rose is a rose is a rose. You are alive, you are living, and this is life. Now experience life in a more meaningful way – look into the source of your liveliness, source of your life energy- just go in – forget everything, the whole world. Even for a few moments as if you are alone. Going deep into the life reveals that life is a mystic to be experienced, but it can not be explained. That is why I said “A rose is a rose is a rose.”

And the rose is something out side you, but life is all that you are. But for thousands of years you have been conditioned not to live, just survive. You have been told by the religions to renounce everything that can give you a taste of life.

My effort is just opposite of all religions. I don’t want to the category of life-negative people. I am utterly in love with life.

My approach is life-affirmative. You dance, you sing, you love, you meditate. In different ways, try to feel your aliveness. What ever you are doing do it so intensely and so totally that your full life starts functioning, that you start throbbing.


Wild or not to be wild !

What is wrong in being wild ? I don’t see anything wrong in it. To be too civilized may be dangerous- a little wildness is good. In a better world, with more understanding about human nature, we will keep a balance between civilization and wildness. And it is the source of creativity and innovation.

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