Adaptability-One of the finest ingredients for successful life.
Adaptability is a virtue that one can put into practise at once. It is the one quality that will give one success immediately. Adaptability is a virtue or noble quality by which one adapts or fits oneself with others, whatever be their nature. This is the most desirable quality for success in life and has to be developed slowly.
One should be flexible if one wishes to adapt oneself to others. The world runs on adaptability. He who knows the art of adaptability gets on quite well in this world and is ever happy and cheerful under all conditions of life. He is free from worry and disturbance. It does not need much wisdom and thought to develop this noble quality.
Adaptability is like a strong catgut ligature. It links people in bonds of unbroken love and friendship. A man of adaptability can move about freely with anybody in the world. People love such a man. Adaptability will give one great joy and immense strength. It will develop a strong will.
An egoistic man finds it very difficult to adapt himself. He always gets into trouble. He always fails in his attempts. Egoism and pride are great obstacles in the way of developing adaptability.
Adaptability kills selfishness. It develops oneness with all. Having this wonderful quality, a man can live in any place. He can bear heat and cold. He can live happily in poor conditions. He can develop a calm and cheerful attitude. This divine quality will ultimately take him to God.
Develop this quality. You will win the hearts of all. Only then can you get success in life. If you wish to develop this quality you will have to be humble and loving.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
In the Offing
In the offing
Meaning
Imminent; likely to happen soon.
Origin
This is one of the many phrases of nautical origin. It is quite simple
to understand once you know that 'the offing' is the part of the sea
that can be seen from land, excluding those parts that are near the
shore. Early texts also refer to it as 'offen' or 'offin'.
Someone who was watching out for a ship to arrive would first see it
approaching when it was 'in the offing' and expected to dock before
the next tide. Something that is 'in the offing' isn't happening now
or even in a minute or two, but will inevitably happen before too
long. The phrase has migrated from its naval origin into general use
in the language and is now used to describe any event that is
imminent.
In its literal nautical sense, the phrase has been in use since the
late 16th century and the earliest citation of it that I have found is
a quotation from S. Argoll from 1610 which was reported by S. Purchas
in Purchas his Pilgrimes, in 1906:
"I came to an Anchor in seven fathomes water in the offing to sea."
The phrase wasn't commonly used until the beginning of the 18th
century, as in this example from Josiah Burchett's Memoirs of
Transactions at Sea During the War with France, 1703. This is,
incidentally, a classic example of the use of the long form of the
letter 's' in 18th century printing:
...fome other fmall Ships were feen in the Offing. Thofe Ships ftood
away with their Boats a-head, fetting fire to fome, and deftroying and
deferting other of their fmall veffels.
All of the 18th century citations of 'in the offing' refer to the
offing as a physical place. It wasn't until the mid 19th century, in
America, that our presently understood figurative meaning began to be
used. An early example of that comes in S. B. Beckett's Portland
Reference Book and City Directory, 1850:
We have known wives to forget that they had husbands when they
supposed that a tax bill or a notification to do military duty was in
the offing.
Meaning
Imminent; likely to happen soon.
Origin
This is one of the many phrases of nautical origin. It is quite simple
to understand once you know that 'the offing' is the part of the sea
that can be seen from land, excluding those parts that are near the
shore. Early texts also refer to it as 'offen' or 'offin'.
Someone who was watching out for a ship to arrive would first see it
approaching when it was 'in the offing' and expected to dock before
the next tide. Something that is 'in the offing' isn't happening now
or even in a minute or two, but will inevitably happen before too
long. The phrase has migrated from its naval origin into general use
in the language and is now used to describe any event that is
imminent.
In its literal nautical sense, the phrase has been in use since the
late 16th century and the earliest citation of it that I have found is
a quotation from S. Argoll from 1610 which was reported by S. Purchas
in Purchas his Pilgrimes, in 1906:
"I came to an Anchor in seven fathomes water in the offing to sea."
The phrase wasn't commonly used until the beginning of the 18th
century, as in this example from Josiah Burchett's Memoirs of
Transactions at Sea During the War with France, 1703. This is,
incidentally, a classic example of the use of the long form of the
letter 's' in 18th century printing:
...fome other fmall Ships were feen in the Offing. Thofe Ships ftood
away with their Boats a-head, fetting fire to fome, and deftroying and
deferting other of their fmall veffels.
All of the 18th century citations of 'in the offing' refer to the
offing as a physical place. It wasn't until the mid 19th century, in
America, that our presently understood figurative meaning began to be
used. An early example of that comes in S. B. Beckett's Portland
Reference Book and City Directory, 1850:
We have known wives to forget that they had husbands when they
supposed that a tax bill or a notification to do military duty was in
the offing.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Consideration for others comes through Power of Thinking...........................
Consideration For Others
Consideration deals with the knowing principle. The opposite of consideration deals with the thinking principle.
"I know what he means, and I know it is the best thing for me, but I don't think that it is right for me to do right now."
That is how the thinking principle conflicts with the knowing principle within us. What does that create? It creates the individual, egotistical personality.
Consideration is a great principle to understand, and even a greater principle to unfold within yourself. If you can't be considerate of someone else's feelings, your soul is as if locked up in a little cage; and it can't get out, although it may be crying to express itself and hitting against that wall of the thinking mind which knows nothing at all about the qualities of the soul.
Knowing is the manifestation of your spiritual will. Consideration is also a manifestation of your spiritual will. When your spiritual will is awake, you have consideration for other people's feelings. When your spiritual will is awake, you give in on little things, and you have the power to hold firm on big issues, like keeping the restraints and observances of the ancient Sanatana Dharma. You have an inner culture awakened within you.
Have you ever asked somebody to do some little thing, and he says "no"? He refuses to do it because he didn't think of it first, because he considers within himself that if he did do it, he would be falling under your domination?
Why does he feel that way?
It is because he has very little control over himself and is caught up in the thinking mind. But if you ask another type of individual to do something, it is done almost the minute you ask, he is so in tune with you. He has consideration for your feelings. He has consideration to the point where he doesn't want to upset the vibration around himself or around you by creating a situation.
By using the power of the thinking principle alone, we create situations for ourselves to face at another time, because each situation is of the subconscious mind and will manifest itself in life at a later date. Consideration is born of knowing, and knowing is a manifestation of your spiritual will, and your will shines forth when your soul begins to unfold itself. So, in order to be considerate, you have to exercise this knowing principle until it becomes manifest in your life every minute of every day. This is how to cultivate consideration.
How do we exercise our power to know? We have to look at people and ask ourself,
"What do I know about my friends?
What do I know about the depth of them?
How deep are they?"
We ponder, "What do I know about what I am reading-not just what I think about what I read? What do I really know about anything that I pick up and hold in my hand?" The knowing principle is very, very great. We study our mind: "If my intuition is working, do I know it is my intuition? If my subconscious mind is influencing my actions, do I know that I am attached to that state of mind?"
What do you know? What do you not know? That is very important to know.
Going against what we know is a great pitfall. It is born from lack of consideration, lack of the ability to live in harmony with others, to fit into situations. Lacking consideration, we fail to fulfill the basic law of spiritual unfoldment:
"Never miss an opportunity to serve."
When we deliberately go against what we know, we create a burden that we don't want in our life, and we suffer under it. Then we ask, "Why do I feel so uninspired? I was doing so fine. I was so spiritual. I was feeling just wonderful. I felt all the life forces flowing through me, and all of a sudden it all stopped. Why did this have to happen to me? I thought I was doing fine. I was feeling so good." That's what is called a negative slump.
Consideration deals with the knowing principle. The opposite of consideration deals with the thinking principle.
"I know what he means, and I know it is the best thing for me, but I don't think that it is right for me to do right now."
That is how the thinking principle conflicts with the knowing principle within us. What does that create? It creates the individual, egotistical personality.
Consideration is a great principle to understand, and even a greater principle to unfold within yourself. If you can't be considerate of someone else's feelings, your soul is as if locked up in a little cage; and it can't get out, although it may be crying to express itself and hitting against that wall of the thinking mind which knows nothing at all about the qualities of the soul.
Knowing is the manifestation of your spiritual will. Consideration is also a manifestation of your spiritual will. When your spiritual will is awake, you have consideration for other people's feelings. When your spiritual will is awake, you give in on little things, and you have the power to hold firm on big issues, like keeping the restraints and observances of the ancient Sanatana Dharma. You have an inner culture awakened within you.
Have you ever asked somebody to do some little thing, and he says "no"? He refuses to do it because he didn't think of it first, because he considers within himself that if he did do it, he would be falling under your domination?
Why does he feel that way?
It is because he has very little control over himself and is caught up in the thinking mind. But if you ask another type of individual to do something, it is done almost the minute you ask, he is so in tune with you. He has consideration for your feelings. He has consideration to the point where he doesn't want to upset the vibration around himself or around you by creating a situation.
By using the power of the thinking principle alone, we create situations for ourselves to face at another time, because each situation is of the subconscious mind and will manifest itself in life at a later date. Consideration is born of knowing, and knowing is a manifestation of your spiritual will, and your will shines forth when your soul begins to unfold itself. So, in order to be considerate, you have to exercise this knowing principle until it becomes manifest in your life every minute of every day. This is how to cultivate consideration.
How do we exercise our power to know? We have to look at people and ask ourself,
"What do I know about my friends?
What do I know about the depth of them?
How deep are they?"
We ponder, "What do I know about what I am reading-not just what I think about what I read? What do I really know about anything that I pick up and hold in my hand?" The knowing principle is very, very great. We study our mind: "If my intuition is working, do I know it is my intuition? If my subconscious mind is influencing my actions, do I know that I am attached to that state of mind?"
What do you know? What do you not know? That is very important to know.
Going against what we know is a great pitfall. It is born from lack of consideration, lack of the ability to live in harmony with others, to fit into situations. Lacking consideration, we fail to fulfill the basic law of spiritual unfoldment:
"Never miss an opportunity to serve."
When we deliberately go against what we know, we create a burden that we don't want in our life, and we suffer under it. Then we ask, "Why do I feel so uninspired? I was doing so fine. I was so spiritual. I was feeling just wonderful. I felt all the life forces flowing through me, and all of a sudden it all stopped. Why did this have to happen to me? I thought I was doing fine. I was feeling so good." That's what is called a negative slump.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Key to Abundance.
Abundance
5 Keys to Abundance- Use it don't lose it.
Are you really open to abundance in your life? Recently on Oprah, I heard a shocking statistic: Over 70% of people who experience a financial windfall from such strokes of luck as winning the lottery or inheriting a large sum of money tend to be back to where they were financially within just a few short years.
Most of us think this would never happen to us. Our thoughts probably run along the lines of, "If I won a million, two million, ten million dollars [take your pick], it would change my life forever. All my worries would be gone. I'd be happy."
How can it be that what seems like an inevitable happy ending just doesn't turn out to be true for such a large majority of people? Are those who come serendipitously into wealth dumber than we are? Are they all spendaholics, compulsive gamblers, inept business people, or at the very least so codependent that they can't say "no" to family and friends who ask for handouts?
It's true that many of us who are not used to handling large sums of money are inept with it. It's also true that a lot of us are codependent enough to fall prey to wanting to be loved by giving everything we have. If we're already doing that, we'll probably do it more, not less, if given half a chance. And if some of us aren't spendaholics now, like kids in a candy store, we certainly might become crazed with buying the first time we have a wad of cash in our hands. But even these shortcomings and lapses in judgment don't explain the expected fate of 70% of us who would end up no better—and possibly worse emotionally due to shame—than before our sudden wealth.
Many of us don't budget at all, claiming that there isn't enough money to do so. We pretend we aren't choosing to use up our available resources with the argument (while our debts mount), "I work hard for my money. I should get to enjoy it." We fall deeper and deeper into debt, feel incredible stress, depression, and shame, and wind up having to work harder and longer. And still we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot arguing that we deserve to spend our money any way we want to. We treat ourselves like entitled brats, demanding that reality fit our fantasy. But underneath this façade of entitlement, we are deluded by what I call The Big Lie. More about that in a moment.
There is no one roadmap to creating abundance, just as there is no single roadmap to creating a loving relationship. To find a relationship, you can date online, join a club, hang out at your favorite pub, buy a dog, or ask friends to set you up. To make more money, you can find a better-paying job, go back to school, learn a new skill, ask for a raise, gamble, or play the lottery. Getting isn't the biggest problem for most of us, whether it's a relationship or money; the trick is to learn how to keep and build upon what we get.
Until we open up to abundance and become "spiritually fit" to receive, the truth is that we are just as likely to deplete our treasure chest the same way our neighbors do and just as likely to find ourselves continually short on cash and long on debt. So here are five keys to building, maintaining, and enjoying abundance:
1.Embrace the true meaning of abundance: Abundance is that which already exists. In an abundant state, we understand that we are dipping into an overflowing well. Abundance is everywhere. Equally, it is within us. We are abundant. We don't have to seek abundance. We can say yes or no to this belief. It is up to us.
2.Stop using the world as a reflection of your worthiness: The Big Lie I mentioned earlier is the belief that we are unworthy. Most of us decide base our worthiness on outside barometers such as who likes us, what kind of house or car we have, how much money we make, how much education we have, or what clothes we wear. As long as we measure our worth based on outside factors, we our happiness is at the whim of others.
3.Practice worthiness as though it's a skill: While some of us were born believing we were worthy, life experiences may have convinced us otherwise. To retrain our thoughts, we must change our behaviors. Ask yourself what you would be doing differently right now, today, tomorrow, next week, this year if you already believed you were entirely worthy. What behaviors and activities would you stop? Which ones would you start? Make a commitment to yourself to "fake it 'til you make it." Practice your new behaviors until they become second nature, replacing the old habits you are shedding. Change your actions and your thoughts are sure to follow.
4.Recognize what your jealousy is telling you: Jealousy is what we experience when we don't believe we will have (or deserve to have) what someone else has. Therefore, jealousy comes from a belief in lack. If we put the first three keys into active practice, our jealousy will dissolve into gratitude for that which already exists. Gratitude doesn't mean that we become complacent. It means that we strive, not from fear and lack, but from the joy of thriving.
5.Be generous now: If you wait until you "have enough," whatever that means to you, the message you are telling yourself is that there is lack within and around you. Abundance thinking is a leap of faith for many of us. Faith, by definition, is only validated once we have made the leap. My friend had promised to tithe to his church and then "cheated" because he was broke. One day of scarcity led to the next until he woke up one day and realized that he was not trusting abundance (or God) at all. He was waiting for proof. How could waiting for proof be an act of faith? That day he took a deep breath and emptied the change from his pockets into the church's coffers. Immediately he felt the peace that goes along with keeping an agreement with oneself, no matter how difficult it is. He also felt strength in choosing to decide to have faith. Almost immediately, his phone began ringing off the hook with work offers. For him, this was wonderful evidence. But
even more lovely, he didn't even need the evidence at that point. Since he already trusted, he was less fearful about the ups and downs of business and felt more relaxed about experiencing abundance however it presented itself.
Will you get rich by practicing these five keys? Nobody knows what the Universe has in store for us. But you can begin to define rich in new ways that give you appreciation for the abundance that already exists. You are already a wealth of knowledge, support, energy, artistry, compassion, and ideas. How can you maximize and share your abundant wealth today?
5 Keys to Abundance- Use it don't lose it.
Are you really open to abundance in your life? Recently on Oprah, I heard a shocking statistic: Over 70% of people who experience a financial windfall from such strokes of luck as winning the lottery or inheriting a large sum of money tend to be back to where they were financially within just a few short years.
Most of us think this would never happen to us. Our thoughts probably run along the lines of, "If I won a million, two million, ten million dollars [take your pick], it would change my life forever. All my worries would be gone. I'd be happy."
How can it be that what seems like an inevitable happy ending just doesn't turn out to be true for such a large majority of people? Are those who come serendipitously into wealth dumber than we are? Are they all spendaholics, compulsive gamblers, inept business people, or at the very least so codependent that they can't say "no" to family and friends who ask for handouts?
It's true that many of us who are not used to handling large sums of money are inept with it. It's also true that a lot of us are codependent enough to fall prey to wanting to be loved by giving everything we have. If we're already doing that, we'll probably do it more, not less, if given half a chance. And if some of us aren't spendaholics now, like kids in a candy store, we certainly might become crazed with buying the first time we have a wad of cash in our hands. But even these shortcomings and lapses in judgment don't explain the expected fate of 70% of us who would end up no better—and possibly worse emotionally due to shame—than before our sudden wealth.
Many of us don't budget at all, claiming that there isn't enough money to do so. We pretend we aren't choosing to use up our available resources with the argument (while our debts mount), "I work hard for my money. I should get to enjoy it." We fall deeper and deeper into debt, feel incredible stress, depression, and shame, and wind up having to work harder and longer. And still we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot arguing that we deserve to spend our money any way we want to. We treat ourselves like entitled brats, demanding that reality fit our fantasy. But underneath this façade of entitlement, we are deluded by what I call The Big Lie. More about that in a moment.
There is no one roadmap to creating abundance, just as there is no single roadmap to creating a loving relationship. To find a relationship, you can date online, join a club, hang out at your favorite pub, buy a dog, or ask friends to set you up. To make more money, you can find a better-paying job, go back to school, learn a new skill, ask for a raise, gamble, or play the lottery. Getting isn't the biggest problem for most of us, whether it's a relationship or money; the trick is to learn how to keep and build upon what we get.
Until we open up to abundance and become "spiritually fit" to receive, the truth is that we are just as likely to deplete our treasure chest the same way our neighbors do and just as likely to find ourselves continually short on cash and long on debt. So here are five keys to building, maintaining, and enjoying abundance:
1.Embrace the true meaning of abundance: Abundance is that which already exists. In an abundant state, we understand that we are dipping into an overflowing well. Abundance is everywhere. Equally, it is within us. We are abundant. We don't have to seek abundance. We can say yes or no to this belief. It is up to us.
2.Stop using the world as a reflection of your worthiness: The Big Lie I mentioned earlier is the belief that we are unworthy. Most of us decide base our worthiness on outside barometers such as who likes us, what kind of house or car we have, how much money we make, how much education we have, or what clothes we wear. As long as we measure our worth based on outside factors, we our happiness is at the whim of others.
3.Practice worthiness as though it's a skill: While some of us were born believing we were worthy, life experiences may have convinced us otherwise. To retrain our thoughts, we must change our behaviors. Ask yourself what you would be doing differently right now, today, tomorrow, next week, this year if you already believed you were entirely worthy. What behaviors and activities would you stop? Which ones would you start? Make a commitment to yourself to "fake it 'til you make it." Practice your new behaviors until they become second nature, replacing the old habits you are shedding. Change your actions and your thoughts are sure to follow.
4.Recognize what your jealousy is telling you: Jealousy is what we experience when we don't believe we will have (or deserve to have) what someone else has. Therefore, jealousy comes from a belief in lack. If we put the first three keys into active practice, our jealousy will dissolve into gratitude for that which already exists. Gratitude doesn't mean that we become complacent. It means that we strive, not from fear and lack, but from the joy of thriving.
5.Be generous now: If you wait until you "have enough," whatever that means to you, the message you are telling yourself is that there is lack within and around you. Abundance thinking is a leap of faith for many of us. Faith, by definition, is only validated once we have made the leap. My friend had promised to tithe to his church and then "cheated" because he was broke. One day of scarcity led to the next until he woke up one day and realized that he was not trusting abundance (or God) at all. He was waiting for proof. How could waiting for proof be an act of faith? That day he took a deep breath and emptied the change from his pockets into the church's coffers. Immediately he felt the peace that goes along with keeping an agreement with oneself, no matter how difficult it is. He also felt strength in choosing to decide to have faith. Almost immediately, his phone began ringing off the hook with work offers. For him, this was wonderful evidence. But
even more lovely, he didn't even need the evidence at that point. Since he already trusted, he was less fearful about the ups and downs of business and felt more relaxed about experiencing abundance however it presented itself.
Will you get rich by practicing these five keys? Nobody knows what the Universe has in store for us. But you can begin to define rich in new ways that give you appreciation for the abundance that already exists. You are already a wealth of knowledge, support, energy, artistry, compassion, and ideas. How can you maximize and share your abundant wealth today?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Me & God
Me and God - Heart Touching Inspirational Story.. Worth Reading....
A Good Lesson for those who never lose Hope and who dont want to quit in Life...
One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my Spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. God, I said. Can you give me one good reason not to quit His answer surprised me...
Look around, He said. Do you see the fern and the bamboo
Yes, I replied.
When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo.
He said.
In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit. He said.
Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots.
Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. He said to me.
Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots
I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.
Don't compare yourself to others. He said. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.
Your time will come, God said to me. You will rise high
How high should I rise I asked.
How high will the bamboo rise He asked in return.
As high as it can I questioned
Yes. He said, Give me glory by rising as high as you can.
I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
He will never give up on you!
Lesson from the story:
In life never lose hope and never give up or quit in life and Success will come to you later in life...
Never take some one for granted,Hold every person Close to your Heart and in esteem because you might wake up one day and realise that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones." Remember this always in life.
A Good Lesson for those who never lose Hope and who dont want to quit in Life...
One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my Spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. God, I said. Can you give me one good reason not to quit His answer surprised me...
Look around, He said. Do you see the fern and the bamboo
Yes, I replied.
When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo.
He said.
In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit. He said.
Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots.
Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. He said to me.
Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots
I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.
Don't compare yourself to others. He said. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.
Your time will come, God said to me. You will rise high
How high should I rise I asked.
How high will the bamboo rise He asked in return.
As high as it can I questioned
Yes. He said, Give me glory by rising as high as you can.
I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
He will never give up on you!
Lesson from the story:
In life never lose hope and never give up or quit in life and Success will come to you later in life...
Never take some one for granted,Hold every person Close to your Heart and in esteem because you might wake up one day and realise that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones." Remember this always in life.
The Power of Appreciation
The Power Of Appreciation
Have faith in human integrity, in that unfailing "still small voice of the soul" which each who listens for can hear. We are essentially pure souls temporarily living in a physical body. We can and should use our God-given gift of free will encased in love to make a difference in the world today, even if it is in a small way. All of us making the same difference together do so in a big way. disciples should be grateful to their gurus, husbands to their wives, wives to their husbands, parents to their children, children to their parents, students to their teachers and teachers to their students. It's far more effective to praise others and appreciate what we have than to find fault and complain about what we don't have!
Gratitude and appreciation are the key virtues for a better life. They are the spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt and sadness, the medicine which heals subjective states of mind, restoring self-respect, confidence and security. Shall we review them one at a time and consider a practice, a sadhana, for each?
First, gratitude.
It is a feeling within the heart that we cannot suppress for long when overcome with abundant memories of all the good that has come into our lives. Most often, people remember the bad happenings, perhaps because they make the deepest impressions in the subconscious and are not expected. Good happenings are expected and therefore tend to be overlooked.
The sadhana here is to take out paper and pen and list all the good that has come into your life during the past five years. The list will grow as memory is stimulated. Should it not be possible to think of even one good thing, then write the affirmation several times,
"I am a spiritual being of light maturing in the ocean of experience."
Soon a good memory will come up, followed by more. Feelings of loving appreciation will begin to flow toward those who participated in the good times. Forgiveness then wells up for the bad times. Amazingly, one day when I was pondering over thoughts and gratitude, the following wisdom from the divine flashed into my mind "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."
Now let's look at appreciation.
Turning our thanks toward the people in our lives. The sadhana of appreciation is to approach those you are grateful to and tell them, to their face, while looking deep into their eyes, how much you esteem and value them. Be specific. Find details to share so they know this is not a shallow compliment. Explain what each one has done to inspire this loving confrontation and convince each in turn that you are sincere. The look of a full smiling face, eyes shining and heart full of love, perhaps followed by a big hug, is convincing enough in itself. Words of appreciation are words people do not often hear. These loving confrontations do not happen nearly often enough among friends and relatives in today's world.
Loving appreciation is a life-changing force just waiting to be used. Express appreciation to community leaders, business associates, spiritual mentors, family members and friends as often as you can. Loving appreciation is a magic formula that works both ways. When we commend another, we are automatically uplifted.
&
Make use of the Power of Appreciation liberally.
Have faith in human integrity, in that unfailing "still small voice of the soul" which each who listens for can hear. We are essentially pure souls temporarily living in a physical body. We can and should use our God-given gift of free will encased in love to make a difference in the world today, even if it is in a small way. All of us making the same difference together do so in a big way. disciples should be grateful to their gurus, husbands to their wives, wives to their husbands, parents to their children, children to their parents, students to their teachers and teachers to their students. It's far more effective to praise others and appreciate what we have than to find fault and complain about what we don't have!
Gratitude and appreciation are the key virtues for a better life. They are the spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt and sadness, the medicine which heals subjective states of mind, restoring self-respect, confidence and security. Shall we review them one at a time and consider a practice, a sadhana, for each?
First, gratitude.
It is a feeling within the heart that we cannot suppress for long when overcome with abundant memories of all the good that has come into our lives. Most often, people remember the bad happenings, perhaps because they make the deepest impressions in the subconscious and are not expected. Good happenings are expected and therefore tend to be overlooked.
The sadhana here is to take out paper and pen and list all the good that has come into your life during the past five years. The list will grow as memory is stimulated. Should it not be possible to think of even one good thing, then write the affirmation several times,
"I am a spiritual being of light maturing in the ocean of experience."
Soon a good memory will come up, followed by more. Feelings of loving appreciation will begin to flow toward those who participated in the good times. Forgiveness then wells up for the bad times. Amazingly, one day when I was pondering over thoughts and gratitude, the following wisdom from the divine flashed into my mind "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."
Now let's look at appreciation.
Turning our thanks toward the people in our lives. The sadhana of appreciation is to approach those you are grateful to and tell them, to their face, while looking deep into their eyes, how much you esteem and value them. Be specific. Find details to share so they know this is not a shallow compliment. Explain what each one has done to inspire this loving confrontation and convince each in turn that you are sincere. The look of a full smiling face, eyes shining and heart full of love, perhaps followed by a big hug, is convincing enough in itself. Words of appreciation are words people do not often hear. These loving confrontations do not happen nearly often enough among friends and relatives in today's world.
Loving appreciation is a life-changing force just waiting to be used. Express appreciation to community leaders, business associates, spiritual mentors, family members and friends as often as you can. Loving appreciation is a magic formula that works both ways. When we commend another, we are automatically uplifted.
&
Make use of the Power of Appreciation liberally.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
You Can Make the Difference.................
You Can Make A Difference
Here's a true story to show how effective a timely expression of appreciation may be. A young man tried the above practice on his rather gruff employer, whose heart melted when he heard the words, "One of the things that I appreciate most about you, sir, is your brilliance as an inventor. You have so much to teach me." After saying that and more, the youth urged the astonished elder to pass on the voicing of appreciation to another person. The man sat with his only son that same evening and awkwardly told him how much he appreciated his many fine qualities.
"I never take time to say such sentimental things," he said, "but rather tend to keep to myself and be demanding and harsh because of the pressures of work. But please know that I do love you." The youth began sobbing and confessed, "Father, thank you so much. You can't imagine how glad and relieved I am to hear that. I was planning to commit suicide tomorrow because I thought you didn't care about meany more, or even like me. Now I won't." You never know how much difference your appreciation will make.
To prepare yourself for this sadhana, stand before a mirror and look at your face, right into your eyes, and say aloud, as if talking to another person: "I am grateful to you and appreciate your being in my life." Then describe to yourself in many sentences all the good you have done during the past five years. You can jog your memory by reading from your list of goodness that you made earlier. You will soon see the reflection in the mirror soften and begin to smile as it absorbs the happy feeling of your appreciation. Once this art is perfected between you and you, you can begin to appreciate others in the same way. Don't be shy. No one is shy when angry. Why be shy when we are happy and lovingly grateful?
There is a brave new world on the horizon for followers of dharma, one in which we are kindly to each other, trusting and aware of one another's feelings, a world in which we acknowledge our debt to others and express our thanksgiving, first in our silent heart and then outwardly. Gratitude is one of life's richest resources, containing the power to change people's lives. Its opposite is a disease that erodes all contentment and fills our life with emptiness and despair. Take heart. These sadhanas on gratitude and appreciation have worked wonders for many. Yes, each one of us can make a difference. The world is changing, and we can make it change for the better, or we can leave it in the hands of those who make changes for the "badder." It's our choice.
I appreciate you, our reader of Living with Siva, you and other men and women, boys and girls who are strengthening Hinduism in hundreds of remote communities, upholding the Sanatana Dharma, being a beacon light to others on the path. It is you who are inspiring us to produce this series of books on contemporary Hinduism, giving us so many ideas and cheering us on. You are making a great difference by simply living the dharma, aspiring for self-transformation and speaking on these high principles that are so important to us all and to the future of humanity.
Just a little bit of kindness is so easy to express. Just a little bit of kindness heals the mind. And in this day and age, when so many are frustrated, troubled and need a little bit of help, appreciation and encouragement, your kindness can help. Your criticism, your gossip about them, hurts them and also hurts yourself. But the kindness that you express in what you do is healing unto you, too. So, see yourself as a being that always expresses kindness. What you think about, you become.
AND MAKE THE DIFFERENCE WITH WORDS OF APPRECIATION AND KINDNESS.
Here's a true story to show how effective a timely expression of appreciation may be. A young man tried the above practice on his rather gruff employer, whose heart melted when he heard the words, "One of the things that I appreciate most about you, sir, is your brilliance as an inventor. You have so much to teach me." After saying that and more, the youth urged the astonished elder to pass on the voicing of appreciation to another person. The man sat with his only son that same evening and awkwardly told him how much he appreciated his many fine qualities.
"I never take time to say such sentimental things," he said, "but rather tend to keep to myself and be demanding and harsh because of the pressures of work. But please know that I do love you." The youth began sobbing and confessed, "Father, thank you so much. You can't imagine how glad and relieved I am to hear that. I was planning to commit suicide tomorrow because I thought you didn't care about meany more, or even like me. Now I won't." You never know how much difference your appreciation will make.
To prepare yourself for this sadhana, stand before a mirror and look at your face, right into your eyes, and say aloud, as if talking to another person: "I am grateful to you and appreciate your being in my life." Then describe to yourself in many sentences all the good you have done during the past five years. You can jog your memory by reading from your list of goodness that you made earlier. You will soon see the reflection in the mirror soften and begin to smile as it absorbs the happy feeling of your appreciation. Once this art is perfected between you and you, you can begin to appreciate others in the same way. Don't be shy. No one is shy when angry. Why be shy when we are happy and lovingly grateful?
There is a brave new world on the horizon for followers of dharma, one in which we are kindly to each other, trusting and aware of one another's feelings, a world in which we acknowledge our debt to others and express our thanksgiving, first in our silent heart and then outwardly. Gratitude is one of life's richest resources, containing the power to change people's lives. Its opposite is a disease that erodes all contentment and fills our life with emptiness and despair. Take heart. These sadhanas on gratitude and appreciation have worked wonders for many. Yes, each one of us can make a difference. The world is changing, and we can make it change for the better, or we can leave it in the hands of those who make changes for the "badder." It's our choice.
I appreciate you, our reader of Living with Siva, you and other men and women, boys and girls who are strengthening Hinduism in hundreds of remote communities, upholding the Sanatana Dharma, being a beacon light to others on the path. It is you who are inspiring us to produce this series of books on contemporary Hinduism, giving us so many ideas and cheering us on. You are making a great difference by simply living the dharma, aspiring for self-transformation and speaking on these high principles that are so important to us all and to the future of humanity.
Just a little bit of kindness is so easy to express. Just a little bit of kindness heals the mind. And in this day and age, when so many are frustrated, troubled and need a little bit of help, appreciation and encouragement, your kindness can help. Your criticism, your gossip about them, hurts them and also hurts yourself. But the kindness that you express in what you do is healing unto you, too. So, see yourself as a being that always expresses kindness. What you think about, you become.
AND MAKE THE DIFFERENCE WITH WORDS OF APPRECIATION AND KINDNESS.
Jagad Guru Sri Adi Sankaracharya
Jagad Guru Sri Adi Sankaracharya
The greatest teacher of the Vedanta philosophy was Jagad Guru Adi Sankaracharya (AD788-820). By solid reasoning he extracted from the Vedas the truths of Vedanta, and on them built up the wonderful system of knowledge & wisdom that is taught in his commentaries.
He unified all the conflicting descriptions of Brahman and showed that there is only one infinite Reality. He showed that as man can only travel slowly on the upward road, all the varied presentations are needed to suit his varying capacity.
Adi Shankaracharya taught that Three things were the great gifts of God :
[1] Human body.
[2] Thirst after God
[3] A Teacher(Master/Guru) who can show up the light. When these three great gifts are ours, we may know that our redemption is at hand. Only knowledge can free and save us but with knowledge must grow virtue.
Books cannot teach God, but they can destroy ignorance; their action is negative. To hold to the books and at the same time open the way to freedom is Adi Shankara’s great achievement.
…His whole life’s work is nothing but that, the throbbing of the beauty of the Vedas and the Upanishads- All in a matter of just within 32 years & was undoubtedly an incarnation of Supreme.
Yours in Divine Friendship.
J.K
The greatest teacher of the Vedanta philosophy was Jagad Guru Adi Sankaracharya (AD788-820). By solid reasoning he extracted from the Vedas the truths of Vedanta, and on them built up the wonderful system of knowledge & wisdom that is taught in his commentaries.
He unified all the conflicting descriptions of Brahman and showed that there is only one infinite Reality. He showed that as man can only travel slowly on the upward road, all the varied presentations are needed to suit his varying capacity.
Adi Shankaracharya taught that Three things were the great gifts of God :
[1] Human body.
[2] Thirst after God
[3] A Teacher(Master/Guru) who can show up the light. When these three great gifts are ours, we may know that our redemption is at hand. Only knowledge can free and save us but with knowledge must grow virtue.
Books cannot teach God, but they can destroy ignorance; their action is negative. To hold to the books and at the same time open the way to freedom is Adi Shankara’s great achievement.
…His whole life’s work is nothing but that, the throbbing of the beauty of the Vedas and the Upanishads- All in a matter of just within 32 years & was undoubtedly an incarnation of Supreme.
Yours in Divine Friendship.
J.K
How to be Happy
How to Be Happy.
Look in the mirror. You have created your face through your many thoughts that have accumulated through this lifetime. Ask yourself,
"Am I happy, or am I looking for others to make me happy?"
Allow yourself to be kind; allow yourself to express the qualities, the beautiful qualities, of your soul. Your happiness then will come from within yourself, along with a deep contentment and inner peace and joy. Only a moment of thinking kindly about someone, and making a plan that will enable you to help your fellow man, even just a little bit, will awaken from your soul that deep, inner satisfaction, that depth of security you are really seeking.
On the other hand, if you allow your mind to dwell in the realm of critical thinking, in the realm of gossiping, without the thought of helping others, you will feel insecure, unhappy. Nothing that could happen will bring you an inner satisfaction. You will be constantly desirous of acquiring, and that which you do acquire will not be satisfying to you.
Why? Because there will be no love in your heart. If you find yourself in that state of mind, turn the energies around and find the quietness within you through being kind, being generous, being helpful. The doing brings its own reward. Only in the accomplishment of being big enough to understand the experiences of life that others go through, being tall enough to overlook the many, many things that you could take issue with and perhaps retaliate for, only in acquiring that depth which comes from your soul, can you truly find inner happiness and peace.
Go out into the world this week and let your light shine through your kind thoughts, but let each thought manifest itself in a physical deed of doing something for someone else. Lift their burdens just a little bit and, unknowingly perhaps, you may lift something that is burdening your mind. You erase and wipe clean the mirror of your own mind through helping another. We call this karma yoga, the deep practice of unwinding, through service, the selfish, self-centered, egotistical vasanas of the lower nature that have been generated for many, many lives and which bind the soul in darkness.
Through service and kindness, you can unwind the subconscious mind and gain a clear understanding of all laws of life. Your soul will shine forth. You will be that peace. You will radiate that inner happiness and be truly secure, simply by practicing being kind in thought, word and deed.
A sure indication of the manifestation of the soul nature on the physical plane is consideration for other people's feelings, consideration for other people's state of mind, which means appreciating their good qualities and overlooking their qualities that need improvement. Someone who is considerate is understanding. Those who are not considerate don't understand and don't understand that they don't understand. They don't understand, and they are not considerate and not appreciative, because they are wrapped up in their individual ego. Yet they expect everyone to be considerate of them. Ane always Remember...............
Happiness is within you and you have to bring it out to express for the benefit of others.
Look in the mirror. You have created your face through your many thoughts that have accumulated through this lifetime. Ask yourself,
"Am I happy, or am I looking for others to make me happy?"
Allow yourself to be kind; allow yourself to express the qualities, the beautiful qualities, of your soul. Your happiness then will come from within yourself, along with a deep contentment and inner peace and joy. Only a moment of thinking kindly about someone, and making a plan that will enable you to help your fellow man, even just a little bit, will awaken from your soul that deep, inner satisfaction, that depth of security you are really seeking.
On the other hand, if you allow your mind to dwell in the realm of critical thinking, in the realm of gossiping, without the thought of helping others, you will feel insecure, unhappy. Nothing that could happen will bring you an inner satisfaction. You will be constantly desirous of acquiring, and that which you do acquire will not be satisfying to you.
Why? Because there will be no love in your heart. If you find yourself in that state of mind, turn the energies around and find the quietness within you through being kind, being generous, being helpful. The doing brings its own reward. Only in the accomplishment of being big enough to understand the experiences of life that others go through, being tall enough to overlook the many, many things that you could take issue with and perhaps retaliate for, only in acquiring that depth which comes from your soul, can you truly find inner happiness and peace.
Go out into the world this week and let your light shine through your kind thoughts, but let each thought manifest itself in a physical deed of doing something for someone else. Lift their burdens just a little bit and, unknowingly perhaps, you may lift something that is burdening your mind. You erase and wipe clean the mirror of your own mind through helping another. We call this karma yoga, the deep practice of unwinding, through service, the selfish, self-centered, egotistical vasanas of the lower nature that have been generated for many, many lives and which bind the soul in darkness.
Through service and kindness, you can unwind the subconscious mind and gain a clear understanding of all laws of life. Your soul will shine forth. You will be that peace. You will radiate that inner happiness and be truly secure, simply by practicing being kind in thought, word and deed.
A sure indication of the manifestation of the soul nature on the physical plane is consideration for other people's feelings, consideration for other people's state of mind, which means appreciating their good qualities and overlooking their qualities that need improvement. Someone who is considerate is understanding. Those who are not considerate don't understand and don't understand that they don't understand. They don't understand, and they are not considerate and not appreciative, because they are wrapped up in their individual ego. Yet they expect everyone to be considerate of them. Ane always Remember...............
Happiness is within you and you have to bring it out to express for the benefit of others.
The Holy" Aum Namashivaya."
What Is the Holy Namah Sivaya Mantra?
Namah Sivaya is among the foremost Vedic mantras. It means "adoration to God Siva," and is called the Panchakshara, or "five-letters." Within its celestial tones and hues resides all of the intuitive knowledge of Saivism.
Aum.
Namah Sivaya is the most holy name of God Siva, recorded at the very center of the Vedas and elaborated in the Saiva Agamas.
Na is the Lord's concealing grace,
Ma is the world,
Shi stands for Siva,
Va is His revealing grace,
Ya is the soul.
The five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation.
Na is earth,
Ma is water,
Shi is fire,
Va is air, and
Ya is ether, or akasha.
Many are its meanings. Namah Sivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward in salvaging the soul from bondages of the treacherous instinctive mind and the steel bands of a perfected externalized intellect.
Namah Sivaya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within. The holy Natchintanai proclaims, "Namah Sivaya is in truth both Agama and Veda. Namah Sivaya represents all mantras and tantras. Namah Sivaya is our souls, our bodies and possessions.
Namah Sivaya has become our sure protection.
"Aum Namah Sivaya."
Namah Sivaya is among the foremost Vedic mantras. It means "adoration to God Siva," and is called the Panchakshara, or "five-letters." Within its celestial tones and hues resides all of the intuitive knowledge of Saivism.
Aum.
Namah Sivaya is the most holy name of God Siva, recorded at the very center of the Vedas and elaborated in the Saiva Agamas.
Na is the Lord's concealing grace,
Ma is the world,
Shi stands for Siva,
Va is His revealing grace,
Ya is the soul.
The five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation.
Na is earth,
Ma is water,
Shi is fire,
Va is air, and
Ya is ether, or akasha.
Many are its meanings. Namah Sivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward in salvaging the soul from bondages of the treacherous instinctive mind and the steel bands of a perfected externalized intellect.
Namah Sivaya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within. The holy Natchintanai proclaims, "Namah Sivaya is in truth both Agama and Veda. Namah Sivaya represents all mantras and tantras. Namah Sivaya is our souls, our bodies and possessions.
Namah Sivaya has become our sure protection.
"Aum Namah Sivaya."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The unfoldment of Humanity.
The Unfoldment Of Humanity
This is the story of man's evolution through the mind, from the gross to the refined, from darkness into light, from a consciousness of death to immortality. He follows a natural pattern that is built right in the nerve system itself: memory, reason, will, direct cognition, inner light perceptions of the soul, which awaken a universal love of all mankind; psychic perceptions through divine sight; and the heavenly refinement of being in the thousand-petaled lotus.
During each age throughout history, one or another of the planets or chakras has come into power. Remember when the Greek God Cronus was in supreme power? He is the God of time. Mass consciousness came into memory, or the muladhara chakra, with its new-found concern for time, for a past and a future, dates and records. Next the mass consciousness came into the svadhishthana and its powers of reason. Reason was a God in the Golden Age of Greece. Discourse, debate and logic all became instruments of power and influence. If it wasn't reasonable, it wasn't true. Next the chakra of will came into power. Man conquered nations, waged wars, developed efficient weapons. Crusades were fought and kingdoms established during the period. Our world was experiencing force over force. Direct cognition, the anahata chakra, came into power when man opened the doors of science within his own mind. He cognized the laws of the physical universe: mathematics, physics,
chemistry, astronomy and biology. Then he unfolded the mind sciences by penetrating into his subconscious mind, into the chakras where he had previously been. With man's looking into his own mind, psychology, metaphysics and the mind religions were born.
Now, in our present time, the mass consciousness is coming into vishuddha--the forces of universal love. The forerunners of this emerging Sat Yuga, popularly called the New Age, are not worshiping reason as the great thing of the mind or trying to take over another's possessions through the use of force. They are not worshiping science or psychology or the mind religions as the great panacea. They are looking inward and worshiping the light, the Divinity, within their own body, within their own spine, within their own head, and they are going in and in and in and in, into a deep spiritual quest which is based on direct experience, on compassion for all things in creation.
As the forces of the vishuddha chakra come into prominence in the New Age, it does not mean that the other centers of consciousness have stopped working. But it does mean that this new one coming into prominence is claiming the energy within the mass consciousness. When this center of divine love gains a little more power, everything will come into a exquisite balance. There will be a natural hierarchy of people based on the awakening of their soul, just as previous ages established hierarchies founded on power or intellectual acumen. With that one needed balance, everything on the Earth will quiet down, because the vishuddha chakra is of the new age of universal love, in which everyone sees eye to eye, and if they do not, there will always be someone there to be the peacemaker. Look back through history and you will see how these planetary influences, these great mind strata of thought, have molded the development of human society.
This is the story of man's evolution through the mind, from the gross to the refined, from darkness into light, from a consciousness of death to immortality. He follows a natural pattern that is built right in the nerve system itself: memory, reason, will, direct cognition, inner light perceptions of the soul, which awaken a universal love of all mankind; psychic perceptions through divine sight; and the heavenly refinement of being in the thousand-petaled lotus.
During each age throughout history, one or another of the planets or chakras has come into power. Remember when the Greek God Cronus was in supreme power? He is the God of time. Mass consciousness came into memory, or the muladhara chakra, with its new-found concern for time, for a past and a future, dates and records. Next the mass consciousness came into the svadhishthana and its powers of reason. Reason was a God in the Golden Age of Greece. Discourse, debate and logic all became instruments of power and influence. If it wasn't reasonable, it wasn't true. Next the chakra of will came into power. Man conquered nations, waged wars, developed efficient weapons. Crusades were fought and kingdoms established during the period. Our world was experiencing force over force. Direct cognition, the anahata chakra, came into power when man opened the doors of science within his own mind. He cognized the laws of the physical universe: mathematics, physics,
chemistry, astronomy and biology. Then he unfolded the mind sciences by penetrating into his subconscious mind, into the chakras where he had previously been. With man's looking into his own mind, psychology, metaphysics and the mind religions were born.
Now, in our present time, the mass consciousness is coming into vishuddha--the forces of universal love. The forerunners of this emerging Sat Yuga, popularly called the New Age, are not worshiping reason as the great thing of the mind or trying to take over another's possessions through the use of force. They are not worshiping science or psychology or the mind religions as the great panacea. They are looking inward and worshiping the light, the Divinity, within their own body, within their own spine, within their own head, and they are going in and in and in and in, into a deep spiritual quest which is based on direct experience, on compassion for all things in creation.
As the forces of the vishuddha chakra come into prominence in the New Age, it does not mean that the other centers of consciousness have stopped working. But it does mean that this new one coming into prominence is claiming the energy within the mass consciousness. When this center of divine love gains a little more power, everything will come into a exquisite balance. There will be a natural hierarchy of people based on the awakening of their soul, just as previous ages established hierarchies founded on power or intellectual acumen. With that one needed balance, everything on the Earth will quiet down, because the vishuddha chakra is of the new age of universal love, in which everyone sees eye to eye, and if they do not, there will always be someone there to be the peacemaker. Look back through history and you will see how these planetary influences, these great mind strata of thought, have molded the development of human society.
Believe in yourself.............
Believe in your heart that something
Wonderful is about to happen.
Love your life.
Believe in your own power,
And in your own potential,
And your own innate goodness.
Wake every morning with the awe Of just being alive.
Discover each day the magnificent,
Awesome beauty in the world.
Explore and embrace life
In yourself and in everyone
You see each day.
Reach within to find your own specialness.
Amaze yourself and rouse those
Around you to the potential
Of each new day.
Don't be afraid to admit
You're less than perfect;
This is the essence of our humanity.
Let those who love you help you;
Trust enough to be able to take.
Look with hope to the horizon of today,
For today is all we truly have.
Live this day well.
Let a little sun out as well as in.
Create your own rainbows.
Be open to all your possibilities,
And all miracles.
Always believe in miracles.
Wonderful is about to happen.
Love your life.
Believe in your own power,
And in your own potential,
And your own innate goodness.
Wake every morning with the awe Of just being alive.
Discover each day the magnificent,
Awesome beauty in the world.
Explore and embrace life
In yourself and in everyone
You see each day.
Reach within to find your own specialness.
Amaze yourself and rouse those
Around you to the potential
Of each new day.
Don't be afraid to admit
You're less than perfect;
This is the essence of our humanity.
Let those who love you help you;
Trust enough to be able to take.
Look with hope to the horizon of today,
For today is all we truly have.
Live this day well.
Let a little sun out as well as in.
Create your own rainbows.
Be open to all your possibilities,
And all miracles.
Always believe in miracles.
God's Grace............
ALWAYS REMEMBER:
God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called. Your worst days are never so hard that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace!
God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called. Your worst days are never so hard that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace!
True Love
When you Love someone truly,
you don't look for faults,
you don't look for answers,
and
you don't look for mistakes.
Instead, you fight the mistakes,
you accept the faults
and
overlook the excuses.
you don't look for faults,
you don't look for answers,
and
you don't look for mistakes.
Instead, you fight the mistakes,
you accept the faults
and
overlook the excuses.
Each day of the week is dedicated to.................
In Hinduism, each day of a week is dedicated to a particular God in the Hindu pantheon. Apart from the special Vratas and Upvaas, many Hindus also fast on a particular day in a week. Each day in a week has a specialty and there are numerous folklores associated with the fasting observed on the days of a week.
Sunday
Sunday is dedicated to Lord Surya (Sun God). Those who undertake fast (upvaas) on the day only take a single meal. Oil and salt is avoided. Red is the color of the day and red flowers are offered to Surya. (more details)
Monday
Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said that Lord Shiva is easily pleased. Therefore many people observe Upvaas on Monday. Those devotees observing fast only eat food once. People visit Lord Shiva shrines and conduct pujas, especially, Ardhanarishwara puja. The mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is chanted continuously. Siva devotees also read Shiva Purana. Unmarried women observe the Vrat to get good husbands. Others observe it for a happy and prosperous family life. (more details)
Tuesday
Tuesday is dedicated to Durga, Goddess Kali and Lord Hanuman. Most devotees visit Devi and Hanuman shrines. Those people who fast avoid taking food containing salt at night. (more details)
Wednesday
Wednesday is dedicated to planet Mercury and Lord Vithal, an incarnation of Krishna. Green color leaves, especially Tulsi leaves, are used in Pujas. The day is highly auspicious for starting new ventures and it is believed that those who observe the Vrat are bound to get blessed with fortunes. People also give alms on the day. (more details)
Thursday
Thursday is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his incarnations. Pujas are conducted using milk, ghee etc. Food is only eaten once and that too containing milk products. People read Srimad Bhagavad Purana on the day. (more details)
Friday
Friday is dedicated to Mother Goddess – Mahalakshmi, Santhosi Ma, Annapuraneshwari and Durga. Sweets are distributed on the day. Those devotees observing the Vrat make it a point to eat at night. (more details)
Saturday
Saturday is dedicated to alleviating the bad influence of Lord Shani. The Vrat on this day is mainly observed by those people who believe in Hindu astrology. Black is the color of the day and people visit Shani shrine or Navagraha shrines. Food is only consumed once on the day. (more details)
It must be noted here that the deity worshipped on a particular day might vary from region to region and community to community. The result of all upvaas or fast depends on the person. It is good, if all the members in the family can undertake a Vrata together.
Miracles do happen by observing a particular Vrata and the greatest miracle is Brahman realization. All rituals and observances are path towards understanding the Supreme Soul and this will automatically alleviate all sufferings.
Source &
Courtsey: HINDU BLOG
Sunday
Sunday is dedicated to Lord Surya (Sun God). Those who undertake fast (upvaas) on the day only take a single meal. Oil and salt is avoided. Red is the color of the day and red flowers are offered to Surya. (more details)
Monday
Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said that Lord Shiva is easily pleased. Therefore many people observe Upvaas on Monday. Those devotees observing fast only eat food once. People visit Lord Shiva shrines and conduct pujas, especially, Ardhanarishwara puja. The mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is chanted continuously. Siva devotees also read Shiva Purana. Unmarried women observe the Vrat to get good husbands. Others observe it for a happy and prosperous family life. (more details)
Tuesday
Tuesday is dedicated to Durga, Goddess Kali and Lord Hanuman. Most devotees visit Devi and Hanuman shrines. Those people who fast avoid taking food containing salt at night. (more details)
Wednesday
Wednesday is dedicated to planet Mercury and Lord Vithal, an incarnation of Krishna. Green color leaves, especially Tulsi leaves, are used in Pujas. The day is highly auspicious for starting new ventures and it is believed that those who observe the Vrat are bound to get blessed with fortunes. People also give alms on the day. (more details)
Thursday
Thursday is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his incarnations. Pujas are conducted using milk, ghee etc. Food is only eaten once and that too containing milk products. People read Srimad Bhagavad Purana on the day. (more details)
Friday
Friday is dedicated to Mother Goddess – Mahalakshmi, Santhosi Ma, Annapuraneshwari and Durga. Sweets are distributed on the day. Those devotees observing the Vrat make it a point to eat at night. (more details)
Saturday
Saturday is dedicated to alleviating the bad influence of Lord Shani. The Vrat on this day is mainly observed by those people who believe in Hindu astrology. Black is the color of the day and people visit Shani shrine or Navagraha shrines. Food is only consumed once on the day. (more details)
It must be noted here that the deity worshipped on a particular day might vary from region to region and community to community. The result of all upvaas or fast depends on the person. It is good, if all the members in the family can undertake a Vrata together.
Miracles do happen by observing a particular Vrata and the greatest miracle is Brahman realization. All rituals and observances are path towards understanding the Supreme Soul and this will automatically alleviate all sufferings.
Source &
Courtsey: HINDU BLOG
Sunday, February 15, 2009
God gives you...........................
God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you NEED - To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be.
Accept this "TRUTH" and abide by the law of Supreme nature in Life.
J.K
Accept this "TRUTH" and abide by the law of Supreme nature in Life.
J.K
ABC of Life & A TO Z of Life.............................
"The ABC of life " & A TO Z OF Life??........
"If you know the "Art of Loving", no one needs to teach you "The Art of Living", you will learn it by yourself and it's True.
Awareness, Belongingness and Commitment hold the key to success. That’s the ABC of life. In any field you need the ABC. Are we aware of what we are telling ourselves? whereas A TO Z holds the key to contended and happy life.
This level of awareness is vital for a society because this is what can prevent a crime. With this level of awareness, it is impossible for a criminal to commit a crime. There was a thief. He went to meet a saint. He told the saint that he had a compulsion to steal. The saint said, “I am not going to tell you not to steal. But when you steal, do it with awareness.” Three months later, the thief came back to the saint and said, “With awareness, I could not steal.” It is the same with anger. It comes with a burst, you lose it. But what have you actually lost? You lost awareness. You smile starts shrinking. I measure success by the smile. How strong your smile is will show how secure you are. And that is what, I think, indicates success in your career.
To be able to smile through any situation in life, you need a little knowledge about yourself, about your mind and your consciousness. You need to learn a little bit about your breath. We need to know a little bit about all the layers of our existence, that is, body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego and the self. This is what I call Art of Loving, learning a little bit about yourself, the seven layers of our life. And that makes us be in the present moment and it helps us to maintain the innocence that we are all born with, and feel at home with everybody, anywhere.
Breath and mind
Neither at school nor at home does anybody teach you what to do when
you are upset or angry or depressed. Learning something about our breath is
very important. Our breath has a great lesson for us which we have forgotten.
For every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath; for every rhythm in the breath, there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind directly, you can do it through breath. The rhythm in breath can help you get in touch with the depth of yourself, your soul, your consciousness.
The ABC of life brings expansion, WHEREAS A TO Z BRINGS COMPLETION, It brings an awareness of existence, belongingness to the whole creation and commitment to human values in life. This will help broaden our vision and deepen our roots. can arouse a passion, and that passion can become an impulse to destroy. But to be creative you don’t need to arouse a passion, you need to be focused and most importantly, you need to be aware. Now, how is one to bring up one’s awareness? You start with simple and small things in life. Things that seem insignifi cant like hearing the birds singing, seeing the sunset and so forth.
This would bring up your awareness. Awareness nurtures intellect. Belongingness nurtures the heart. And commitment nurtures life. The problem is that creators are only a few and they succeed because they have a lot of commitment. If we are observing the ABC, then we can make a big change in society and if we adopt and observe A TO Z. we make the whole change. Ask yourself the question, do all people in the world belong to me? The day you ask that your spiritual journey has begun. With this context of awareness, you can understand cosmology.
Sankalpa
In some temples, there is a tradition called sankalpa. They remind you how
old this universe is, and then from there they bring you into this moment.
Cosmology brings awareness. Other methods for raising awareness are
meditation, breathing and pranayama. You need energy and you will not get that only from food and sleep. Meditation and a silent state of consciousness will also give you energy. C is also for commitment and compassion. Smile more. A bit of humor can keep you out of trouble. Look into the mirror everyday and smile. The higher you go up in the corporate ladder, the I measure success by the smile. How strong your smile is will show how secure you are. And that is what, I think, indicates success
in your career.
Now let's have a look at the A TO Z of Life:-
LIVE LIFE FULLY & REMAIN HAPPY & CONTENDED
The most memorable New Year gift in the recent past is a lovely "Live Life Fully" kit (a one-page document!) that my dad (Mr.J.Kannan, a Freight Forwarding veteran) gifted to me a few daya ago. I am simply dumbstruck by this document and thought it would make great sense for me to post it here for the benefit of the ROW (Rest of the World). Here it goes...
Live Life Fully.
WITH:
ACCOMPLISHMENT
BLISS
CONTENTMENT
DECORUM
EXUBERANT
FIDELITY
GRATITUDE
HUMILITY
INTEGRITY
JOY
KINDNESS
LOVE
MAGNANIMITY
NOBILITY
OPTIMISM
PRAGMATISM
QUEST
RESPECTABILITY
STATURE
TOLERANCE
UNI VOCAL
VERSATILITY
WISDOM
(E)XALTATION
YUM
ZEST
&
WITHOUT:
AGILITY
BIAS
CONTROVERSY
DELUSION
ELUSION
FEAR
GRUDGE
HATRED
IMPURITY
JEALOUSY
KINDLE
LAXITY
MOROSE
NEGLIGENCE
OBSTINACY
PROVOCATION
QUID PRO QUO
RETALIATION
SOUR
TIMIDITY
UNCONCERN
VIOLATION
WAGGING
(E)XPEDIENCY
YELL
ZELOTYPIA
Make it to "Live Life Fully" Dear one's.
With Love,Reverence & regards
Your's in Divine Friendship.
J.KANNAN
"If you know the "Art of Loving", no one needs to teach you "The Art of Living", you will learn it by yourself and it's True.
Awareness, Belongingness and Commitment hold the key to success. That’s the ABC of life. In any field you need the ABC. Are we aware of what we are telling ourselves? whereas A TO Z holds the key to contended and happy life.
This level of awareness is vital for a society because this is what can prevent a crime. With this level of awareness, it is impossible for a criminal to commit a crime. There was a thief. He went to meet a saint. He told the saint that he had a compulsion to steal. The saint said, “I am not going to tell you not to steal. But when you steal, do it with awareness.” Three months later, the thief came back to the saint and said, “With awareness, I could not steal.” It is the same with anger. It comes with a burst, you lose it. But what have you actually lost? You lost awareness. You smile starts shrinking. I measure success by the smile. How strong your smile is will show how secure you are. And that is what, I think, indicates success in your career.
To be able to smile through any situation in life, you need a little knowledge about yourself, about your mind and your consciousness. You need to learn a little bit about your breath. We need to know a little bit about all the layers of our existence, that is, body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego and the self. This is what I call Art of Loving, learning a little bit about yourself, the seven layers of our life. And that makes us be in the present moment and it helps us to maintain the innocence that we are all born with, and feel at home with everybody, anywhere.
Breath and mind
Neither at school nor at home does anybody teach you what to do when
you are upset or angry or depressed. Learning something about our breath is
very important. Our breath has a great lesson for us which we have forgotten.
For every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath; for every rhythm in the breath, there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind directly, you can do it through breath. The rhythm in breath can help you get in touch with the depth of yourself, your soul, your consciousness.
The ABC of life brings expansion, WHEREAS A TO Z BRINGS COMPLETION, It brings an awareness of existence, belongingness to the whole creation and commitment to human values in life. This will help broaden our vision and deepen our roots. can arouse a passion, and that passion can become an impulse to destroy. But to be creative you don’t need to arouse a passion, you need to be focused and most importantly, you need to be aware. Now, how is one to bring up one’s awareness? You start with simple and small things in life. Things that seem insignifi cant like hearing the birds singing, seeing the sunset and so forth.
This would bring up your awareness. Awareness nurtures intellect. Belongingness nurtures the heart. And commitment nurtures life. The problem is that creators are only a few and they succeed because they have a lot of commitment. If we are observing the ABC, then we can make a big change in society and if we adopt and observe A TO Z. we make the whole change. Ask yourself the question, do all people in the world belong to me? The day you ask that your spiritual journey has begun. With this context of awareness, you can understand cosmology.
Sankalpa
In some temples, there is a tradition called sankalpa. They remind you how
old this universe is, and then from there they bring you into this moment.
Cosmology brings awareness. Other methods for raising awareness are
meditation, breathing and pranayama. You need energy and you will not get that only from food and sleep. Meditation and a silent state of consciousness will also give you energy. C is also for commitment and compassion. Smile more. A bit of humor can keep you out of trouble. Look into the mirror everyday and smile. The higher you go up in the corporate ladder, the I measure success by the smile. How strong your smile is will show how secure you are. And that is what, I think, indicates success
in your career.
Now let's have a look at the A TO Z of Life:-
LIVE LIFE FULLY & REMAIN HAPPY & CONTENDED
The most memorable New Year gift in the recent past is a lovely "Live Life Fully" kit (a one-page document!) that my dad (Mr.J.Kannan, a Freight Forwarding veteran) gifted to me a few daya ago. I am simply dumbstruck by this document and thought it would make great sense for me to post it here for the benefit of the ROW (Rest of the World). Here it goes...
Live Life Fully.
WITH:
ACCOMPLISHMENT
BLISS
CONTENTMENT
DECORUM
EXUBERANT
FIDELITY
GRATITUDE
HUMILITY
INTEGRITY
JOY
KINDNESS
LOVE
MAGNANIMITY
NOBILITY
OPTIMISM
PRAGMATISM
QUEST
RESPECTABILITY
STATURE
TOLERANCE
UNI VOCAL
VERSATILITY
WISDOM
(E)XALTATION
YUM
ZEST
&
WITHOUT:
AGILITY
BIAS
CONTROVERSY
DELUSION
ELUSION
FEAR
GRUDGE
HATRED
IMPURITY
JEALOUSY
KINDLE
LAXITY
MOROSE
NEGLIGENCE
OBSTINACY
PROVOCATION
QUID PRO QUO
RETALIATION
SOUR
TIMIDITY
UNCONCERN
VIOLATION
WAGGING
(E)XPEDIENCY
YELL
ZELOTYPIA
Make it to "Live Life Fully" Dear one's.
With Love,Reverence & regards
Your's in Divine Friendship.
J.KANNAN
Friday, February 06, 2009
How are The Agamas Significant To-day ?
How Are the Agamas Significant Today?
While the Vedas, with myriad Deities, bind all Hindus together, the Agamas, with a single supreme God, unify each sect in a oneness of thought, instilling in adherents the joyful arts of divine adoration.
God is love, and to love God is the pure path prescribed in the Agamas. Veritably, these texts are God's own voice admonishing the samsari, reincarnation's wanderer, to give up love of the transient and adore instead the Immortal. How to love the Divine, when and where, with what mantras and visualisations and at what auspicious times, all this is preserved in the Agamas. The specific doctrines and practices of day-to-day Hinduism are nowhere more fully expounded than in these revelation hymns, delineating everything from daily work routines to astrology and cosmology.
So overwhelming is Agamic influence in the lives of most Hindus, particularly in temple liturgy and culture, that it is impossible to ponder modern Sanatana Dharma without these discourses. While many Agamas have been published, most remain inaccessible, protected by families and guilds who are stewards of an intimate hereditary knowledge. The Tirumantiram says, "Nine are the Agamas of yore, in time expanded into twenty-eight, they then took divisions three, into one truth of Vedanta-Siddhanta to accord. That is Shuddha Saiva, rare and precious."
Please also like to go through the post on Agamas under the title "The Hindu Scriptures Pt V ( Theological Discipline & Doctrine of worship, posted earlier by me.
While the Vedas, with myriad Deities, bind all Hindus together, the Agamas, with a single supreme God, unify each sect in a oneness of thought, instilling in adherents the joyful arts of divine adoration.
God is love, and to love God is the pure path prescribed in the Agamas. Veritably, these texts are God's own voice admonishing the samsari, reincarnation's wanderer, to give up love of the transient and adore instead the Immortal. How to love the Divine, when and where, with what mantras and visualisations and at what auspicious times, all this is preserved in the Agamas. The specific doctrines and practices of day-to-day Hinduism are nowhere more fully expounded than in these revelation hymns, delineating everything from daily work routines to astrology and cosmology.
So overwhelming is Agamic influence in the lives of most Hindus, particularly in temple liturgy and culture, that it is impossible to ponder modern Sanatana Dharma without these discourses. While many Agamas have been published, most remain inaccessible, protected by families and guilds who are stewards of an intimate hereditary knowledge. The Tirumantiram says, "Nine are the Agamas of yore, in time expanded into twenty-eight, they then took divisions three, into one truth of Vedanta-Siddhanta to accord. That is Shuddha Saiva, rare and precious."
Please also like to go through the post on Agamas under the title "The Hindu Scriptures Pt V ( Theological Discipline & Doctrine of worship, posted earlier by me.
Well Directed Will Power
Well-Directed Willpower
Everyone has willpower. It is inherent to the makeup of the physical-astral-mental-emotional body. The center of willpower is the manipura chakra, located at the solar plexus. Unlike other energies, the more willpower we use, the more willpower we have to use.
Actually, by exerting our willpower, we store up new energy within the manipura chakra. This happens when we work a little harder than we think we can, do a little more than we think we can do. By putting forth that extra effort, we build up a great willpower that we will always have with us, even in our next life, the next and the next. Willpower is free for the using, actually.
When we relate willpower to actions and compare actions to dharma or adharma, we find that adharmic, or unrighteous, actions bring uncomfortable results, and dharmic actions bring comfortable results. If we act wrongly toward others, people will act wrongly toward us. Then, if we are of a lower nature, we resent it and retaliate. This is a quality of the instinctive mind: "You strike me once, I'll strike you back twice. You make a remark to me that I don't like, and I will put you down behind your back. I will make up stories about you to get even and turn other people's minds against you." This is retaliation-a terrible negative force. When we use our willpower to retaliate against others, we do build up a bank account of willpower, to be sure, because we do have to put out extra effort. But we also build up a bank account of negative karma that will come back on us full force when we least expect it. When it does, if we remain locked in ignorance, we
will resent that and retaliate against the person who plays our karma back to us, and the cycle will repeat itself again and again and again.
Those living in the higher nature know better. Belief in karma and reincarnation are strong forces in a Hindu. South India's Saint Tiruvalluvar said it so simply, "Worthless are those who injure others vengefully, while those who stoically endure are like stored gold. Just as the Earth bears those who dig into her, it is best to bear with those who despise us" (Tirukural 155-151).
Nevertheless, we see society tearing itself apart through retaliation. Respectable organizations retaliate against their leader, against each other. Countries divide and retaliate. Political parties retaliate. Vindictive law cases are professionally handled retaliation. To retaliate means to pay back injury with injury, to return like for like, evil for evil, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. It seems to be a part of humankind, though it is a negative part of humankind.
It does not have to prevail. It is not spiritual. We would say it is demonic. We would say it is asuric. We would say it is unnecessary behavior, unacceptable behavior, a wrong use of willpower. People who have a lot of will can, if they wish, retaliate very, very well. They can ruin another person. But remember, the force will come back on them three times stronger than they gave it out, because their strong willpower will bring it back with vigor. This is the law.
Everyone has willpower. It is inherent to the makeup of the physical-astral-mental-emotional body. The center of willpower is the manipura chakra, located at the solar plexus. Unlike other energies, the more willpower we use, the more willpower we have to use.
Actually, by exerting our willpower, we store up new energy within the manipura chakra. This happens when we work a little harder than we think we can, do a little more than we think we can do. By putting forth that extra effort, we build up a great willpower that we will always have with us, even in our next life, the next and the next. Willpower is free for the using, actually.
When we relate willpower to actions and compare actions to dharma or adharma, we find that adharmic, or unrighteous, actions bring uncomfortable results, and dharmic actions bring comfortable results. If we act wrongly toward others, people will act wrongly toward us. Then, if we are of a lower nature, we resent it and retaliate. This is a quality of the instinctive mind: "You strike me once, I'll strike you back twice. You make a remark to me that I don't like, and I will put you down behind your back. I will make up stories about you to get even and turn other people's minds against you." This is retaliation-a terrible negative force. When we use our willpower to retaliate against others, we do build up a bank account of willpower, to be sure, because we do have to put out extra effort. But we also build up a bank account of negative karma that will come back on us full force when we least expect it. When it does, if we remain locked in ignorance, we
will resent that and retaliate against the person who plays our karma back to us, and the cycle will repeat itself again and again and again.
Those living in the higher nature know better. Belief in karma and reincarnation are strong forces in a Hindu. South India's Saint Tiruvalluvar said it so simply, "Worthless are those who injure others vengefully, while those who stoically endure are like stored gold. Just as the Earth bears those who dig into her, it is best to bear with those who despise us" (Tirukural 155-151).
Nevertheless, we see society tearing itself apart through retaliation. Respectable organizations retaliate against their leader, against each other. Countries divide and retaliate. Political parties retaliate. Vindictive law cases are professionally handled retaliation. To retaliate means to pay back injury with injury, to return like for like, evil for evil, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. It seems to be a part of humankind, though it is a negative part of humankind.
It does not have to prevail. It is not spiritual. We would say it is demonic. We would say it is asuric. We would say it is unnecessary behavior, unacceptable behavior, a wrong use of willpower. People who have a lot of will can, if they wish, retaliate very, very well. They can ruin another person. But remember, the force will come back on them three times stronger than they gave it out, because their strong willpower will bring it back with vigor. This is the law.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Back to Square one
Back to square one
Meaning
Back to the beginning, to start again.
Origin
There are three widely reported suggestions as to the origin of this
phrase: BBC sports commentaries, board games like snakes and ladders
and playground games like hopscotch. Let's examine them in turn:
BBC Commentaries:
In order that listeners could follow the progress of football games in
radio commentaries, the pitch was divided into eight notional squares.
Commentators described the play by saying which square the ball was
in. The Radio Times, the BBC's listings guide, referred to the
practice in an issue from January 1927.
Commentaries that used a numbering system certainly happened and
prints of the pitch diagrams still exist. Recordings of early
commentaries also exist, including the very first broadcast sports
commentary (of a rugby match). That commentary, and many others that
followed, referred listeners to the printed maps and a second
commentator called out the numbers as the ball moved from square to
square. However, at no point in any existing commentary do they use
the phrase 'back to square one'.
Despite this, the BBC issued a piece in a January 2007 edition of The
Radio Times that celebrated 80 years of BBC football commentary. In
this, the football commentator John Murray stated with confidence that
"Radio Times' grids gave us the phrase 'back to square one'" and that
"the grid system was dropped in the 1930s (not before the phrase 'back
to square one' had entered everyday vocabulary)". This confidence is
despite the fact that, although it could be true, it is nothing but
conjecture. What is a fact is that the BBC broadcast a more measured
view in the popular etymology series Balderdash and Piffle, in
collaboration with the OED, in 2006. This questioned the claims that
the BBC commentaries were the source of the phrase and that it was in
circulation in the 1930s.
It's not the first time that BBC commentators have talked balderdash
and piffle and I doubt it will be the last. Private Eye made something
of a cottage industry out of printing examples of such in their
Colemanballs columns and books. (see over the moon).
Board Games:
Many people report that the phrase refers to Snakes and Ladders or
similar board games. The earliest citation of the phrase in print is
currently 1952, from the Economic Journal:
"He has the problem of maintaining the interest of the reader who is
always being sent back to square one in a sort of intellectual game of
snakes and ladders."
Despite that comment, it isn't a feature of Snakes and Ladders that
players are sent back to square one. Of the many examples of such
boards that exist, only a few have a snake in the first square. For
the phrase to have come from that source people must have had occasion
to use it, and that appears not to be the case with Snakes and
Ladders.
Hopscotch
This playground game is played on a grid of numbered squares. The
precise rules of the game vary from place to place but usually
involves players hopping from square to square, missing out the square
containing their thrown stone. They go from one to (usually) eight or
ten and then back to square one.
The game's name derives from 'scotch', which was used from the 17th
century to denote a line scored on the ground and, of course, hopping.
It was referred to in the 1677 edition of Robert Winstanley's
satirical almanac Poor Robin:
"The time when School-boys should play at Scotch-hoppers."
All of the above explanations are plausible enough to gain supporters.
As is usual with phrases of uncertain origin, most people are happy to
believe the first explanation they hear. There's no real evidence to
put the origin beyond reasonable doubt, and so it remains uncertain.
Whatever the source, 1952 is surprisingly late as the earliest
printing for a phrase that was certainly in the spoken language much
earlier than that. There are many believable hearsay examples from at
least thirty years earlier. Perhaps a printed source from before 1952
will yield the truth?
Meaning
Back to the beginning, to start again.
Origin
There are three widely reported suggestions as to the origin of this
phrase: BBC sports commentaries, board games like snakes and ladders
and playground games like hopscotch. Let's examine them in turn:
BBC Commentaries:
In order that listeners could follow the progress of football games in
radio commentaries, the pitch was divided into eight notional squares.
Commentators described the play by saying which square the ball was
in. The Radio Times, the BBC's listings guide, referred to the
practice in an issue from January 1927.
Commentaries that used a numbering system certainly happened and
prints of the pitch diagrams still exist. Recordings of early
commentaries also exist, including the very first broadcast sports
commentary (of a rugby match). That commentary, and many others that
followed, referred listeners to the printed maps and a second
commentator called out the numbers as the ball moved from square to
square. However, at no point in any existing commentary do they use
the phrase 'back to square one'.
Despite this, the BBC issued a piece in a January 2007 edition of The
Radio Times that celebrated 80 years of BBC football commentary. In
this, the football commentator John Murray stated with confidence that
"Radio Times' grids gave us the phrase 'back to square one'" and that
"the grid system was dropped in the 1930s (not before the phrase 'back
to square one' had entered everyday vocabulary)". This confidence is
despite the fact that, although it could be true, it is nothing but
conjecture. What is a fact is that the BBC broadcast a more measured
view in the popular etymology series Balderdash and Piffle, in
collaboration with the OED, in 2006. This questioned the claims that
the BBC commentaries were the source of the phrase and that it was in
circulation in the 1930s.
It's not the first time that BBC commentators have talked balderdash
and piffle and I doubt it will be the last. Private Eye made something
of a cottage industry out of printing examples of such in their
Colemanballs columns and books. (see over the moon).
Board Games:
Many people report that the phrase refers to Snakes and Ladders or
similar board games. The earliest citation of the phrase in print is
currently 1952, from the Economic Journal:
"He has the problem of maintaining the interest of the reader who is
always being sent back to square one in a sort of intellectual game of
snakes and ladders."
Despite that comment, it isn't a feature of Snakes and Ladders that
players are sent back to square one. Of the many examples of such
boards that exist, only a few have a snake in the first square. For
the phrase to have come from that source people must have had occasion
to use it, and that appears not to be the case with Snakes and
Ladders.
Hopscotch
This playground game is played on a grid of numbered squares. The
precise rules of the game vary from place to place but usually
involves players hopping from square to square, missing out the square
containing their thrown stone. They go from one to (usually) eight or
ten and then back to square one.
The game's name derives from 'scotch', which was used from the 17th
century to denote a line scored on the ground and, of course, hopping.
It was referred to in the 1677 edition of Robert Winstanley's
satirical almanac Poor Robin:
"The time when School-boys should play at Scotch-hoppers."
All of the above explanations are plausible enough to gain supporters.
As is usual with phrases of uncertain origin, most people are happy to
believe the first explanation they hear. There's no real evidence to
put the origin beyond reasonable doubt, and so it remains uncertain.
Whatever the source, 1952 is surprisingly late as the earliest
printing for a phrase that was certainly in the spoken language much
earlier than that. There are many believable hearsay examples from at
least thirty years earlier. Perhaps a printed source from before 1952
will yield the truth?
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