The Mind Games

The universe seems to know,
How to keep you tense.
Just when you think,
Life is within your grasp,
Your mind blows up,
Thoughts run,
Emotions boil.

The bliss,
The universe made you watch,
And intellectually comprehend,
Flickers.

On and you know,
Know what thoughts you should have,
Off and the thoughts are haywire.
On and you know,
Know the response the situation demands,
Off and you react.
On and you know,
Know how to watch your emotions,
Off and emotions control you.
On and you know,
Know the cause of the emotions,
Know how to use these emotions,
Off and the emotions cause more chaos,
Off and the emotions use you.

The world knows how to play with you,
Play with you – just right.

Too much and you will throw this world away,
Away into a self-imposed exile,
Exiled into a monastery,
Monastery where you may think,
Think that the world will stop,
Stop bothering you.

Too little and your senses drive,
Drive you to pleasure,
Pleasure which disguises itself as bliss,
Bliss which seems like you created,
Creation that gives you an Ego,
Ego which tells you,
You are God.

So the world tosses you,
From too little to,
Too much and,
Everywhere in between.

The highs and lows,
Make you yearn,
For the bliss,
That the reality show,
Across the glass wall.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,
V

Mind games – with all its highs and lows – Colourful

The Glass Wall

On the journey,
Like a mime,
You hit a glass barrier.

Thou can see through it,
Peer through it,
But you can neither touch through it,
Nor sense through it.

You think all that you see,
On the other side,
Is a reality show,
On the television.

But just like a gripping movie,
Deep inside you,
It has gripped you.
You feel you are the protagonist,
Your emotions rush,
Yours truly,
You think is on the other side.

But you know not,
How to get there.
But you know not,
If it’s yet another magic trick.
But you know not,
If it is the mind,
Or if it is truly you.

What won’t you give to make,
This reality show a reality.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,

V

Glass wall – What will you not give to be outside

Basics – Five elements / Avatar (Cartoon) and spiritual growth – Part 1

Ayurveda and Vedic/Indic philosophy talks about 5 elements which make up everything in our world, namely : Aakash or Energy, Vayu or Air, Tejas or Fire, Jalam or Water and Bhumi or Earth.

The elements are mentioned in the increasing form of grossness. Energy can’t be felt/seen, Air can be felt, seen but not limited in its movement, Fire can be felt, seen, is limited in its movement but is not physical in nature, Water can be felt,seen, contained, is physical but cannot be structured and Bhumi is felt,seen,contained, is physical and can be structured.

The five elements, each have their own quality and this qualities are expressed everywhere around us and within us. We and everything that we sense are an expression of a mixture of the five elements.

I came across a very interesting cartoon for kids – Avatar – the last Airbender in which people live in 4 different nations – Earth, Fire, Water and Air. Some of the people in each of the nations have the ability to “bend” that is physically control a particular element. Earth benders can move rocks and boulders with a few movements of their hands and water benders can make water flow upwards and turn it into ice and so on. The Avatar alone has the capability to “bend” or control all four elements.

Just like the Avatar, each and everyone of us have the potential to control all the 5 elements. But today, most of us are non-benders I.e have no control over even a single element. Further we don’t even know which nation we are part of – that is we don’t know where to start and which elemental control comes naturally to us.

This series of blogs will look at each element, it’s qualities and the ways to control each of it. We will also attempt to look at a guide – a guide for you to look inside and question yourself to at least intellectually come to a starting point of elemental control.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love, V

Avatar and Spirituality

குருவை ஏங்கி

அடர்ந்த காடு,
பல நாட்க்கள் பயணம்,
சோர்ந்த உடம்பு,
வழிபோக்கனின் ஏக்கம்,
ஒரு சூடான உணவு.

தூரத்தில் ஒரு வாசம்,
மூக்கை பிளக்க,
காட்டில் வழி தெரியாமல்,
கண்கள் தேடின,
கால்கள் ஓடின,
தவித்தது மனம்.

இதை போல்,
வாழ்வின் மாயங்களின் நடுவில்,
தடைகளினால் சோர்ந்து,
ஏங்குவது அமைதி.

உணவின் வாசம் போல்,
பெரிய மகான்களின் சொற்கள்,
ஏக்கத்தை தேடலாய் மாற்ற,
தேடினேன் உன்னை,
கோயிலில், குளத்தில்,
மரத்தில், பூமியில்.

தவிக்கும் மனதிற்கு,
தர மாட்டாயா,
ஓர் தரிசனம்,
வர மாட்டாயா,
ஓர் வழிகாட்டியாய்.

எனது குருவே,
உனது பாதமே,
எனது அடைக்கலம்,
அடைக்கலத்திலே தான் அமைதி.

அமைதியை நோக்கி,
அன்புடன்,
வி.

Poem in Tamil

The yearning for a Guru

O Guru, where are you?

One who has walked the path,
One who sees beneath the layers,
One who sees beyond the apparent,
One who is full of compassion,
One who is a tangible form.

Where art thou?
Where art thou in my life?
Where art thou in the vast cosmos?

Why am I struggling to find you?
Why am I unable to reach you?
Why am I here without you?

Oh Compassionate, Unconditional,
Wise, Loving Guide.
Communicate with me,
Show me a sign,
That you are watching me.

What shall I not give,
To be able to receive,
You wisdom and love.

My Namaskarams to thou,
Bless me to have you,
Always in my heart, mind and soul.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,
V

Mind Mastery – Obstacles

Walking the path,
Keeping the mind quiet,
Not for a few seconds of silence,
Not for a few minutes of meditation,
But for the entire day,
Through daily actions and motions,
Is the goal.

You set foot on the path,
Your habits call you back,
You resist the temptation,
Strong as the old oak,
Is your resolve to walk ahead.

So life tests you,
To show you your strength,
There comes a situation,
Where your routine is gone out the window,
Could be that your body takes a break,
Could be you have to stay outside home,
Could be an important decision that can change your everyday life,
A job, love, moving to a new city, or something more somber.

Now in this situation,
Your mind is back,
The need to think through,
The need to be back in control,
This time you can see your mind race,
But your resolve may just give way.

Let this be,
Let this situation blow over,
And then mind can be controlled,
Is what the mind tells you.

You give in,
But never give up,
Mind wants you to forget,
But you never should,
Be it a day or a week,
Stand up on your feet,
Face your mind,
And with all your heart,
Say you believe,
Believe that your heart can get you through,
With the mind just as a tool.

This was nothing but a detour,
A detour with the allure of logic,
A reason to get back to being controlled,
By the mind.

Keep this in mind,
Get back to your path,
Continue your journey,
For the journey is all that there is.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,
V

Obstacles!

Mind Mastery – Overcoming Habits

A habit we are taught,
Can be good or bad,
It is an action,
That we allow to grow to be a part of us.

Habits, mindless repetition of action,
Lead to addiction,
A mindless craving for a action.

Some are addicted,
To chemicals from outside,
Some to chemicals inside,
Some to thought patterns,
Which release the chemicals they crave.

A human without habits,
Is in touch with his true self,
And with that his journey begins.
He is at peace,
If he does or does not.

Monks seem addicted to meditation,
You may ask,
But isn’t meditation the only non-action?
Meditation is nothing but an art of doing nothing.

As we start to walk on the journey inward,
Our habits feel threatened,
They may initially be silent,
Assuming that you will give up the path,
As you probably have countless times,
But if you stick with it,
It comes back with vigour,
Creating a craving,
That needs immense will power and discipline to get over.

You will fail,
Failing is also a victory,
Victory which makes you conscious of failure.

This consciousness grows,
Grows until it gives you the power,
Power which will overcome the habit.

By overcoming one,
You see what lies beneath,
Subtler and subtler habits,
That you were unaware of.

Mother Earth, the Body and the Mind,
What tools, what an environment,
To study our souls deeper and deeper,
To become free,
Free from all habits.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,
V

Overcoming habits!

Mind Mastery – Walking the path

I know the path I should take,
Breathe in,
Keep the mind out,
Bring your focus to your home,
Deep in the heart.

In a second, the mind wants to show who is the Master,
Thoughts float,
And the mind takes you on a train ride,
Your breath is watched no more.

You walk in to work,
And the mind gets to work,
Not in a focused immersion,
But in a frenzy of distorted diversions,
Half do this, half do that,
Write the email, pick up the call,
Talk to the person walking in,
And your mind is back to being boss,
Boss not at work, but in your spirit.

Things subside,
You have a bit of quiet,
But by now you are tired,
Catching your breath not watching it,
And your mind ends up,
Catching up on social media as your relaxation,
Not that one deep focused inhalation that spikes your vitality.

Work is done and you take stock,
And then it strikes you,
Today was the day,
You were to focus internally and not externally.

Nevertheless, better late than never,
And you do it for a few minutes,
Before you get on with your chores.

But whatever said and done,
Giving up is not in your dictionary,
Tomorrow is a new day,
A new chance,
And even if all I achieve,
Is one additional mindful second,
It will be the motivation,
To move on to the next day.

There will dawn a day,
Not far from today,
When being mindfully present,
Is a part of me,
Where allowing my mind to play with my spirit,
Will be a rarity.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,
V

Mind as the Master

Mind Mastery – First steps of the journey

Should I focus on this or that?
The nuts and bolts of survival,
Or taming the running mind?

You know the answer do you not?

Will it get my work done?
Will it pay my bills?
Will it answer the debtor at the door?

Maybe Yes or Maybe No.
If you believe,
The calmness of the mind,
Will calm the clamour outside.

So shall I let it all be,
Sit in silence and meditate,
Isn’t that the fastest path to calm the mind?

Work.
Work on silencing your mind while you work.
Focus is the result,
And is the fruit you seek.

Do you not know,
About the sprinting mind,
Which depletes your vitality,
Alluring you from one place to another,
From one desire to the next,
For even a second it doesn’t stop,
And this clamour is what you see outside,
This clamour is what keeps you busy,
This clamour is what makes you tired.

Now, I know the path,
How fast can I reach my destination?

Knowing the path,
And walking the path,
Two different things.

Through this life,
Your focus has been outward,
Your mind has ran helter skelter,
And you believe your mind is you.

Practise with every breath,
Control your mind,
Your true self first needs to be revealed,
Then show the mind it’s place.

You, the true you,
Vibrant, Focused,
Will guide you to your purpose,
The purpose of life,
The purpose which gives meaning to your breath.

The rewards are aplenty,
But the path arduous.

Now I know the path,
But how do I act?

Watch your breath,
Repeat a phrase,
Chant a Mantra,
Create your Mantra,
Focus on one task,
Dissolve yourself in it,
Or you can do all of these.

Meditate and choose your action,
Stick to it,
Take the first baby steps,
And with grace you will run soon.

Start your journey,
The only journey that matters,
The journey inwards.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,
V

Journey to the True Master

#Unplug from the Sensory Overload

Sensory Overload

When the lookout is corrupt,
In comes what we know nought.

Attention is what it seeks,
Energy is what it sucks,
Listlessness is what it infuses,
And addiction is what we get.

Our senses, our sentinels,
Now our shortcoming,
Falls prey to sight, sound and taste,
Yet, we stop it not.

The temporary sensory pleasures glorified,
Exemplified by society,
Our minds are made to desire,
Fooled into thinking this pleasure is what humanity has always seeked.

Sharpen your mind,
Grow your discipline muscle,
And slowly it will dawn,
What you searched for was within,
And that you were never without.

Onwards towards eternal peace,
Love,
V

Conversation with The One

My excited heart,

Seems to want something.

Without pausing for a beat,

My soul seems to floating towards you.

I come willingly,

I give myself without you asking.

With your glance I rest,

With your touch I melt.

Memories melt,

The Present melts,

Place and matter melt,

Boundaries melt.

Dear small spark,

Dear small miracle,

Give me a small sign,

Give me a small place in your heart,

Let our eyes dance,

Let our eyes talk,

Let me touch your soul,

Melt into the oneness that is you,

And the bliss never ends.

Onwards towards eternal peace,

Love,

V.

Mother Earth

You are my life,
You are my body,
You are my mind,
I am but a part of you.

Borne in your body,
Fed with your life,
You have given us a identity.

The sky,
The soil,
Wind, Rain and Oceans,
Gifted to us.

We conquered your peaks,
We dived to your depths,
We believe we are your master.

Tears is what we have given back.

Teardrop which melts oceans,
Eyeglance which explodes mountains,
Shudder which shakes continents.

Agonized and Anguished,
We prostrate at your feet.

Forgive the petty ego,
Forgive for forgetting our roots,
Forgive and show us the path.

Onward towards eternal peace,

Love,
V

—
Inspired by a Tamil film song.

Beliefs about Money

There are two extremes of beliefs about money.

The first one is the more prevalent one, which is money is everything and is essential for our survival.

The other belief which is glorified by asectism is that money is not needed/money is evil. This belief is popular in religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Let’s call the effect of this belief the “God and money are opposites”

So what are the consequences of this belief?

1.) You have spiritual gurus who “potray” having given up money, who have a huge following.

2.) If you are remotely associated with religion, you have an internal battle “Why should I toil so hard for something evil?”

3.) The masses have a poverty mindset. They hoard money, but splurge on religion to wash away their sins for making money.

4.) Spiritually included people believe that giving up money will bring them closer to God.

Each of these thoughts have a negative impact on your spiritual progress and is an indication of a block in you.

So what’s the truth?

Money is a tool.

You should be comfortable living like a king and living like a beggar.

If you don’t need money for your spiritual goals, don’t fall for its glamour.

If money is needed for your spiritual goals, don’t push it away. Don’t be averse to money. Feeling guilty about making money, thoughts about am I making too much, grading people based on how much money they have are all indications of blocks. Work on dissolving the blocks.

Onwards towards eternal peace.

Love,

V

Journey towards You – Poem

My heart pulls,
My life moves,
Towards where,
I know not.

Let me come myself,
Let me give myself,
Without you calling.
Why?,
I know not.

When our eyes meet,
I rest.
When our hands meet,
I melt.
Why?,
I know not.

I forget my memories,
I forget the present,
I forget time and space,
I forget what is mine,
Where I end,
Where you begin,
I know not.

O tiny little secret,
O tiny little wonder,
One tiny little touch,
One tiny little experience,
And going back,
Is something I cannot.

Our eyes dance,
Our conversations flow,
Our bodies touch,
Our lives touch,
The bound for joy which makes me dance,
It knows not.

Onward towards eternal peace.

Love,
V

—

Inspired by a Tamil film song.

Lost in God – Poem

I asked for flowers, you gave me nature,
I asked for water, you gave me nectar
What should I ask for, for you to give yourself?

I was lost in the forest, you showed me the way.
I was lost in the dark, you showed me light.
What should I do to lose myself in you?

I fell into an abyss, you made me reach the peak.
I fell into the flood, you safely made me reach the bank.
What do I fall in, for you to make me reach you?

Am grateful for conversing with you,
But my heart won’t stop until I am you.

Onward towards eternal peace.

Love,
V

Inspired by Tamil film/classical song.

https://spiritualityinroutine.wordpress.com

The Dichotomy – Poem

Duality arises from oneness,
Understanding duality leads to oneness.

Opposites fight,

Opposites attract,

Opposites are poles apart,

Opposites are within you,

Opposites are parallel lines,

But they meet at the infinity in you.

-Onward towards eternal peace.
Love,

V.

The Master and the Mind – Poem

Close your eyes,
Cleanse your breaths,
Clear your thoughts,
Clamp your senses,
Connect with the cosmos,
And the master in you awakens.

So beautiful seem everything,
So mundane seem your trials,
So joyous seem the souls around,
So loving seem your adversaries,
So compassionate seem your haters,
So peaceful you feel.

Ahh the time when the mind sleeps.

Ding goes the calling bell,
Up goes your eyes,
Away goes your peaceful state,
Helter-skelter goes your thoughts.

With the mind in control,
Control which makes you think you are back,
Back to reality,
Reality with real problems,
Problems which need doing,
Doing things which never end,
Ending your connection with your true master.

A sudden whiff of fresh air blows,
A moment when the sun glows,
Your mind slows,
Your heart overflows.

How do you stay connected,
While being worldy wise?

Your mind has no answers,
But millions of excuses –
Food, friends, fortune,
problems, politics, power,

And life…

Excuses can take it thus far,
But one day,
One fine day,
You will break the mind’s control,
And be in connection and contentment.

• Onward toward eternal peace.

Love,
V

Light and Love

Fill yourself to the brim,
And there shall be no fears to trim,
Fill yourself with light,
And there shall be no more flight or fight,
Remember to spread your love,
Because you need it more than they do,
In your own depth lies the inexhaustible source,
The source to all there is – Light and Love.

-Onward towards eternal peace.

Love,

V

Frustrations and yearning for the eternal connection – Poem

Can I get back the days I lived eternally connected with you?

Will my searching in the darkness lead me to the light?

I yearn for your connection to be whole again,

But, I don’t need your company – Go away.

Without you, I wander like a lifeless zombie,

But, I don’t want life – Go away.

My breath is yours and I live because of you,

But, I don’t want to breathe – Go away.

You showed me an unforgettable taste of true love,

But, I don’t want to love anymore – Go away.

Every place you touched me is burning,

But, I don’t want to be touched anymore – Go away.

Thou who searches for the truth – Go away,

But, let me merge with you forever.

-Onward towards eternal peace,

Love,

V.

(Inspired from film songs)

The Basics – Cycles and Patterns

The Universe is just energy. Just like any energy it can be converted into many forms, some of which we can see (light) and feel (heat) and some are hidden/inherent – like atomic energy inside the atom.

Any energy can be expressed as a wave. A seemingly steady expression which you have to deeply look into to understand it as a cycle. A never ending cycle of ups and downs.

Therefore cycles are how we experience this universal energy. Everything is a cycle – creation and destruction, time, rise and fall, happiness and sadness, the weather, your thoughts, – everything. Some of these cycles we can easily see – day and night, seasons in a year and some are inherent/hidden – cycle of creation and destruction, time etc.

But if we dig deep enough we see that everything is a cycle – Mountains and valleys – something which seems immovable to us is also a cycle. A giant cycle over millenniums, but a cycle nevertheless.

The comprehend able Universe is also in a cycle. Let’s take what science says – Big Bang and now the every expanding universe. Before the big bang everything was in a wave of contraction and now we are in the expansion mode. And at one point way, way ahead in the future the comprehend able Universe will standstill and then start to contact again.

Since our energies and lives are a microcosm of this, we are also made of cyclical patterns. Humans are also in a cycle. Hence are thoughts, words, actions and deeds are also in cycles.

Lets clear the meaning of a cycle. A cycle is a repetitive pattern. It does not have to be of equal time. As in it doenst need to be a 12 hour day and 12 hour nights to be in a cycle. A cycle could be skewed as well – 8 hour nights and 16 hour days etc.

Cycles, do not have to be made of only 2 components. It could be a cycle with a lot of different components. An example is the seasonal cycle – spring, summer, autumn and winter.

It could be an amplifying cycle or a declining cycle. I.e travelling into a spiral or expanding from a spiral. Earth’s path in the universe is helical, a rose petals are in spiral pattern , a lot of nature’s innate designs are spiral. Notice nature and her spiral designs when you connect with her.

Noticing our own cyclical patterns can help us tremendously understand ourselves better – after all this the ONLY goal of human life.

• Onward towards eternal peace.

Love,

V

The Basics – Understanding of the Universe and the comprehend able Universe

Deep inquisition into life and universe always boils down to this – What is the Universe? – Who am I? What is life? Is there a soul? and the list goes on. Many seers, scientists, physicists have explained this from their perspectives and understandings and we have/ have had truly advanced souls expounding their knowledge – some of which have been captured in various books – about this.

To all this incredible knowledge and to the Universe, here is my humble offering – my perspective on this question.

Everything is energy. Everything you see, hear, touch, smell, think of and even dream of is all just energy.  To our utter disbelief, all this energy is also “your” energy. “You” have access to the highest forms of energy and the lowest forms of energy and “you” are everything. You are the victim and the murderer, you are the hunter and the hunted. These are just ways of explaining that you are much more than what you think you are.

But, what you experience and what you feel are also reflections of “your” energy. The comprehend able Universe reflects your energy. Your world – being rich/poor, being happy/sad, your relationships, your parents are all reflecting your own energy to show you what your own unique pattern.

So it is confusing – your energy is everything and the world is also a reflection of your energy??!!! How can both statements be true? Well, it is a bit like wave and particle theory in Physics. Everything is a wave and a particle. In today’s parlance lets take gaming. Consider you code a game and you play a massive multi-player online role playing game (MMPORPG). The game (the Comprehend able Universe) is an expression of you, but at the same time “you” are also just a small character in the game. Your character still lives by the rules of the game – eating, sleeping etc etc. And a group of characters come together form a clan (society) and each character is unique and helps the clan on the whole in some way.

This is the duality which we all live in. We are a tiny speck of dust in the vast comprehend able Universe, but we are also much more than all Universes combined (Multi-verses etc.)

This basic understanding allows us to switch between the two at our will and allows us to accept and appropriately respond to different situations which we face in our life. The blog will have a series of basic understandings and then we will dive into specifics about situations which we face in life and use this perspective to understand the clues that the Universe is giving us and our response to them.

• Onward towards eternal peace.

Love,

V