Love Conquers All

"Not by hating hatred ceases,

In this world of fang and claw;

Love single-handedly from hate releases,

This is the only Universal Law."

Once upon a time there lived a dragon who fed on the anger and rage of the kingdom. His feeding ground was the world of humans and there was never any shortage of food. With a kingdom filled with family sqabbles, neighbour fighting neighbour, village at war with bordering villages, and a kingdom perpetually at war with other nations, he had plenty to gorge on. His food storage multiplied endlessly because once hatred begins, it multiplies on its own and even starts affecting good, peaceful, friendly folks.

The dragon’s daily banquet was an amazing assortment of food items including anger, resentment, hatred, envy, greed, lust, cowardice, corruption, cruelty, dishonesty, malice, pride, ruthlessness and violence. The dragon grew big, lazy and fat as hatred and violence blazed across the surrounding kingdoms and consumed every person that its darkness descended upon.

Just when there seemed no end to the destruction of the human world, a bright light appeared in a small corner of the kingdom. The light glowed in a small hut, ravaged by the scars of war. The dragon was curious. The entire world was ablaze in fiery shades of crimson, orange, grey and black....and yet a beautiful white light like the brilliant dazzling glow of a diamond shone incessantly from this broken down hut. The dragon descended from his mountain perch to take a closer look at the source of this brilliant white light.

He entered the hut and saw a young girl seated at the edge of a broken wooden table. On the table lay a chipped wooden bowl half filled with watered down porridge and a plate with a sliver of stale bread. The dragon glared at the girl with his piercing coal red eyes and bared his fangs. She looked back at him, completely unafraid. The glow surrounding her aura grew brighter as her eyes lit up and she smiled back at the dragon and said, “Welcome dear friend! Please do take a seat at this humble table. I don’t have much to offer, but can I offer you whatever little I have in my home.” With that she got up and carried her bowl of porridge and plate of bread across the table and placed it in front of the dragon.

As the little girl uttered these kind hospitable words, the dragon rapidly shrank to a tiny size and finally vanished in a cloud of grey redolent smoke. The darkness lifted over the kingdom even as the sun stepped out from behind the shadow of the clouds, bathing the entire kingdom in a shower of brilliant white sunlight.

A million years later, this story still replays in our midst. Fires of hatred, vengeance and anger surround the world threatening to engulf all of mankind. Our very foundations have been filled with dispute, discord and disagreement, translating into maleficent thoughts, words and actions. Neighbour turns upon neighbour; friends turn into enemies; and kingdoms kill their own even as they justify their actions. Isn’t it high time to end this self-destructive cycle of slavery of man to his impulses of hate and aggression which only serve the dark forces? Demons of hate can only be banished with the power of mercy, compassion and love.

Time and again Dragon met Man, Goliath met David, Ravana met Rama, Kauravas met the Pandavas and Caesar met Christ in the battlefield... and every time it was the virtuous that won the battle. History repeatedly proved that the only way to defeat hate was with the power of love.

On the eve of Good Friday as we once again listen to the echo of Christ’s words, “Lord Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do...” let us pause to remember that never can hatred be stopped by hatred; it can only be stilled by love. Mercy, Compassion and Tolerance is the highest observance; Love the greatest virtue. 

For The Greater Good

“The most sublime act is to set another before you.” – William Blake

Too many millennials voice the same desire, ‘Live it Up’; ‘Be Happy’; ‘Experience it all now’; ‘Who Cares about Tomorrow’... How tedious and futile this mantra becomes over time. Does the meaning of one’s life only extend up to the point of self delight, instant pleasure and immediate gratification? What about a cause worth truly fighting for? Or a sacrifice that involves going beyond one’s limited needs and emotions and empathizing with the greater good of society?

Sacrifice is a natural part of human life. It's not something to ponder upon, or regret, or even brag about. It's something to aspire to. Sacrifices, big and small, abound around us every single day. A mother works double shifts so that her daughter can attend the best private school. A son leaves his amazing career to return home to take care of his ailing parents. A sister donates her kidney to her sibling so that he may receive the gift of life.

The greatest test of a person’s spirit is his readiness to sacrifice himself for something today, so that generations of the future can lead better lives and in turn whisper words of gratitude that he will never hear.  So the question is, What are you willing to give up today? What great sacrifice are you ready to put on an altar for a better tomorrow? What will you allow to be stripped away from you that you hold on to so dearly today? Power? Money? Time? Security? Prestige? Maybe, taking it away can be the only way that you can find your real inner power...and purpose!

It’s not that hard to have a larger than life goal. The real battle is realizing and accepting what you are willing to sacrifice in order to pursue your goal and achieve the things you truly care about. To persevere with the vision, you must cherish the dream more than the costs of sacrifice to accomplish it.

As Albert Pine beautifully essays, “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.

It’s a Wonderful Life

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” – Meister Eckhart

Most of us only attain happiness when we compare our current state to a previous state or to another person’s situation. A man who has commuted by bus his entire life feels elated when he finally buys his own car, but before long this ecstatic sensation wears off. Over time, the car becomes just another possession. Moreover, when his neighbour becomes the proud owner of two cars, in an instant this man feels miserably poor, deprived and depressed.

The difficulty with having incessant desires and carrying an unhappy victim mentality burden upon ourselves is that we fail to glimpse the beauty and bounty abounding our life. Due to this, our spirit gradually gets poisoned with misery, resentment, jealousy, anger, deprivation and worthlessness. Over time this serves to only eat away at our health, relationships and wellbeing. 

Develop the practice of being grateful for every little thing that comes your way. Offer thanks continuously. And because every person, object and situation encountered throughout your life has contributed in some small measure to your progression, you should include all things in your gratitude list.

The spirit of gratitude opens up a doorway to abundance. It turns our mere possessions into a wealthy bounty. It transforms hatred into love, defiance into acceptance, turmoil into structure, and bewilderment to lucidity. Being grateful changes your house into a loving home, a meal into a celebration, and a guest into a friend.  The miracle of gratitude can revolutionize a boring day into a joyful occasion, a monotonous task into a delightful project, and an ordinary occasion into the happiest memory of your life.

Most of us fail to take time out to marvel, admire, applaud and offer gratitude until it is too late. Gratitude is a multi-hued attribute that encompasses everyone and everything that has touched your life. Recognizing and bowing down gratefully to the blessings that you have already received in your life is the foundation for the rest of the abundance that will follow you through your life.

As William Ward reminds us, “God gave you a gift of 84,600 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?”

Who is in the Driver Seat of your Life?

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” – Confucius

At times it can be enlightening and empowering to take just a few moments to reflect on ourselves. Everyone must make time for themselves. Time is what we squatter away on frivolous objects and people. Then why not spend a few precious minutes on ourselves? If we are not careful we will find others spending it for us, therefore it’s necessary to rein ourselves in now and then, be in solitude, and ask ourselves, “Who am I?” “Where have I been?” “Where am I going to?”

Every night it’s important to take a few moments to quiet our mind and call ourselves to an account. What weakness have I mastered today? What new passions acquired? What temptation defied? What virtue attained? Daily introspection helps us gain an aerial perspective of ourselves and abort any vices, weaknesses or flaws of character that may have crept silently into our persona. When we go deep within and look into the mirror of our mind, we not only see the problems, but also the solutions.

It is only when you lose sight of yourself, that you lose your direction. To keep yourself intact you must keep your mind under control. Make the world a mirror that reflects your image back to you. This will offer you a clear indicator of who you are and what you need to change going forward.  Even if your life is perfect and you have your end game figured out, there is an inner voice that you will hear at some crossroad in life which will tug at your heart and say “But wait a second..." Don't reject this inner voice. Listen carefully, and step outside yourself to reconsider your life and any transgressions, vices or flaws that may have crept into your life. 

As Scott Horton says, “As long as you think you're green, you'll grow. As soon as you think you're ripe, you'll rot.” Never be so much in love with who you are, but remain focused on what you can become. Remember that there is only one person that you can be guaranteed of improving, and that person is YOU. 

Atone the Past & Transform Your Future

“Repentance is the root of regeneration.” – L G Akita

The spirit of remorse and repentance has by far become alien to us. The soaring crime rate, the veneration of brutality, the increasing availability of drugs and unwarranted consumption of banned substances, the alarming growth of cults and violence has turned our hearts cold to the world around us. A sense of apathy and indifference looms within us, and over a period of time we have become accustomed to turning a blind eye to our own misdeeds. The human mind has a way of believing that it is always in the right and has no necessity to repent over its wrong acts. Instead of introspecting, we choose to blame others and even blame God for placing us in dire situations, thereby justifying our harsh words and actions.

There is a huge difference between regret and repentance for the past. Regret is not a proactive feeling. It is based in dissatisfaction, sadness, and even guilt. Regret aims to magically undo the past without actually taking the step towards creating a real difference. But repentance is an admission of wrongdoing, bad behaviour and thoughts. Repentance offers us a chance to renew our life. It empowers us to liberate ourselves from all our destructive harmful thoughts and behaviours with an aim to turn towards the positive. The transforming quality of repentance enables us to ponder over our past mistakes and motivate ourselves to never repeat those actions ever again.

Repentance is not so much asking for divine forgiveness, but a clear understanding of our cruel actions done intentionally or inadvertently through our thoughts, words and deeds. We are better able to gauge that the root cause of our misdeeds have arisen from our lack of compassion and insight, due to our own fears, desires, attachments, aversions and misconceptions. After recognising this, we are better able to make mindful resolutions to be as watchful as we can and never repeat these behaviours. In other words, repentance helps us turn over a new leaf, absolve ourselves of unhealthy shame while restoring our determination to avoid any further malevolence to our fellow beings.

Practise repentance at the end of each day. Recall the wrong deeds that you have done through that day. Indulging in this daily practice will help you reduce recurring mistakes as it increases your mindfulness in the coming days. Even if your pride tells you that you have committed no wrong, make it a point to repent as soon as you can later.

The greater our sincerity and desire to walk down this new path, the more powerful our transformation. While repentance does not erase our past karma, it can soften its future mal-effects. Repentance practised daily will help prevent the creation of fresh new damaging karma and future torment, even as in the current state it offers a peaceful state of mind, compassion, mercy and higher wisdom.

It is dreadful when we commit wrongs, but it’s even worse when we fail to feel sorrow and atone for our misdeed. As Thomas Carlyle sums up, “Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.” 

Winning Against Yourself

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” – Sun Tzu

Historically, the Indian festival of Gudi Padwa symbolizes Lord Rama's triumph and joy on returning to his homeland Ayodhya after slaying the mighty demon king Ravana. Since a symbol of victory is always flown high, so is the gudhi (flag). Hence year after year, the populace of India commemorates the victory of Lord Rama by raising this emblematic Gudi.

In the ancient days, victory always followed great battles, bloodshed, families torn asunder and the last man standing on a hollow battlefield. Flags were raised, great monuments, temples and statues were built and cultures changed dramatically as the winner subjugated his newfound empire. As times changed, our battlegrounds and conflicts changed. While battlefields became corporate boardrooms and home turfs, conflicts ranged from personal discords to professional battles to subtle yet agonizing demons plaguing our psyches.

But certain old school rules still endure. Victory has always called for great risk. And the risk today could be as simple as fearlessly voicing your opinion. In a time and age where we mistakenly deduce social media likes as approval and admiration, it takes a fearless soul to stand up and raise their voice against injustice. Just this act of voicing their honest opinion is more important than defeating an army. The courageous and the outspoken take a strong stand because it is the honourable thing to do, and not because they believe they will walk away with their social media likes, lives or jobs intact. Such altruistic fortitude is a victory in itself.

Any triumph achieved by violence is equivalent to defeat, for it is fleeting and void. If confronted by opposition, vanquish the hostility with understanding, empathy and love. The aim of the dispute should not be a hollow victory, but one of progress and mutual respect. Don’t battle aimlessly with the desire to prove a point or gain a one up over someone. If they have offended you in the past, rise above them and the situation by engaging the power of compassion and love. Don’t waste your hours plotting revenge for revenge is a double edged sword that ends up destroying both parties concerned. A fleeting victory is not worth the cost. The method and attitude employed to achieve the victory are as significant as the conquest itself. Remember that there is nothing that needs to be proven. Conquer your temperament and the desire for retribution, for then the victory will always be yours.

Ultimately, the greatest victory is not about winning against others, but conquering yourself. For when you conquer your mind, you can conquer a thousand opponents. As Sun Tzu aptly summarizes, “To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

Decode the Dots

“There are no accidents... there is only some purpose that we haven't yet understood.” – Deepak Chopra

There are no accidents! The Universe is so proficient, structured and prearranged that every single thing that you have gone through has been getting you ready for a far greater purpose. Every single incident, person and situation that you have encountered till date has been no accident. It has been steadily fashioning you into a flawless instrument to fulfill your unique destiny and help you make an exclusive impact in the world.

Your life’s greater purpose is encoded in your life story. Like the dots of a puzzle, it has all been pre-designed to get your ready for a greater purpose in the new era that we are shifting into. Even as you believe that there’s a lot of negativity, chaos and turbulence going on in the world around you and that your life is falling apart, the truth is that things are actually falling into sync together!

Creation follows destruction. After endings come great new beginnings. We live in one of the most exciting times on earth, a time you chose to show up for. You have within you a unique gift that only you can offer. You are not here not by mere accident, but with a higher purpose. Instead of being cynical, disparaging, reactive or a doubter, become a believer. Why waste your energies agonizing about the darkness in the tunnel, when you can trust the universe and walk confidently towards the light at the end of that tunnel.

Just as rocks are part of the dusty road, and a thread part of the fabric, we are a part of something much bigger. The dots of a puzzle never make sense as you meander through the maze, but if you persist determinedly, at some point that ‘aha’ moment is bound to strike and the entire design decodes itself seamlessly in front of your eyes. If you can just glimpse how seamlessly life has been setting you up for a much bigger role, it will astonish you. Give yourself time and space to germinate your potential. Kill your doubts and banish the doubters. Your innermost feelings and emotions are your greatest guide to tell you if your life is surging forward in a purposeful direction or not, so introspect and respect your inner voice.

There are infinite possibilities, but be aware that your life purpose may not lead you where you wished to go. To truly rise, liberate your preconditioned fears and be willing to let go of the life you may have envisaged. Be ready to accept the role that has been pre-scripted for you. You may not end up with your dream role, but you will surely end up where you truly need to be. Don’t be so concerned with other people’s opinions, judgement and disdain; instead be resolute about staying true to the real purpose of your life. 

Unleash your potential. The Universe needs you to let go of your fears and unlock your life code so that you can play out your unique part in this remarkable and milestone once-in-a-lifetime shift on the planet.