Letters-2: A Letter from Srimat Swami Turiyanandaji Maharaj(Excerpt)

Dear Sridhar,

....It is avidya, or ignorance, which is the field of lust and anger. Patanjali defines avidya as follows: "To regard the non-eternal as eternal, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasant, and the non-Atman as the Atman - this is ignorance."

In other words, it is ignorance which makes one perceive the unreal world as real, the impure body as pure, happiness in painful sense enjoyments, and to consider wife and children - none whom is really one's own - as one's own. These false perceptions are caused by ignorance. This avidya is without beginning: there is no way of ascertaining when it originated. It is also without end in the sense that until one attains illumination by the grace of God, it remains and is not destroyed. This ignorance does not allow us to move towards God. So Krishna said in the Gita, "Those who take refuge in me alone shall cross over this maya." Our duty is take refuge in Him and lead a God-centred life.

What Swami Vivekananda said is true: "Devotion to God is dormant in everyone. It manifests itself when the veil of lust and gold is removed." The attempt to remove that veil is called sadhana, or spiritual disciplines; and when this veil disappears, the kundalini awakens. Nothing will be achieved if you scatter your mind in all sorts of things. Hold on firmly to your chosen path and resolve that you will attain liberation and devotion through it; then only will you succeed.

I wrote to you more than once: "He who is full of faith and zeal and has subdued his senses obtains knowledge; having obtained knowledge, he soon attains the supreme peace." (Gita, IV.39). But "The man who is ignorant and without faith and always doubting goes to ruin. Not this world nor the world beyond nor happiness is for the doubting soul." (Ibid, IV.40) - These are the words of God. Now, do as you please.

With love and best wishes

Swami Turiyananda

(a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and a brother-disciple of Swami Vivekananda)(Excerpt)

A Thought for Today-125: October 27, 2007

Cruel and cut-throat competition is the nature to be found in the lower order. To be cooperative with fellow beings is of mediocre order. To dedicate oneself for the welfare of fellow beings is of the high order - Prof.K.Subrahmanyam (Values in Education)

Self-Improvement-6: "A to Z Tips for Success"

Arrive a little early for every date or appointment.
Be enthusiastic in everything you do.
Complete every assigned task.
Do a little more than is required.
Express yourself after you know the facts.
Feel comfortable in every situation by acting yourself.
Go all out to please your friends.
Help others as you would have them help you.
Identify yourself by accomplishments rather than words.
Join in and help when you are needed.
Keep a level head.
Listen more, speak less.
Make the most of what you have.
Never say never.
Open your heart to those less fortunate than you.
Please yourself by pleasing others.
Quickly respond to an emergency.
Remember business plus quality equals profit.
Study, study, study to excel.
Take advantage of any opportunity.
Use your spare time intelligently.
Value your health.
Work at your work.
Xit any quality leading to failure.
You are your most important asset.
Zestfully meet any challenge.

- Abhishek (Details not available)

Lessons in Shaving

Your daily morning facelift could be more lasting if you follow Dr.T.A.Lincoln's advice. Dr.Lincoln of the Oak Ridge National Lab, USA, has made a study of the general shaving habits and has come to the conclusion that they are not very efficient.

First of all, time element is important. Just when you arise in the morning is not a good time. The facial skin is the thickest after the night's sleep due to accumulation of water. The expended skin draws in a part of the follicles. These show up again after the water drains off. DR.Lincoln's advice: Wait at least for an hour after you wake up. Second, hot water creates the same problem: It swells the skin and draws in the hair. Dr.Lincoln suggests the use of salt water instead. This draws out the facial moisture.

Considering that the beard grows about half a millimeter a day, Dr.Lincoln claims you can increase the efficiency of shaving by 40% if you follow his procedure.

Courtesy: Science Today, August 1973

A Thought for Today-124: October 26, 2007

I am just an ordinary man without any special ability in any direction, except perhaps this one thing. I do things I believe ought to be done. And when I make up my mind, I act - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of USA

(Biography of Theodore Roosevelt :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt)

A Thought for Today-123: October 25, 2007

Every man must prove himself in his own way. Once is never enough. You must always risk a second time, a third, a fourth, no matter what it is you want to achieve - Aldo Donati in Daphne du Maurier's 'The Flight of the Falcon'

A Thought for Today-122: October 24, 2007

When politicians become insensitive to criticism and the society no longer responds to traditional forms of protest, the angry dissenters tend to switch over from verbal denunciation to physical violence - G.K.Reddy, The Hindu of August 15, 1974

A Thought for Today-121: October 23, 2007

Extensive knowledge only gets in the way. One must know only what is required. That is what is most difficult of all, and it is where the whole secret lies - Lev Landau, eminent Russian Physicist in Evgeny Gabrilovich's, "The Fifth Quarter"

A Thought for Today-120: October 22, 2007

Intellect is like a creeper, which can grow and blossom if fostered on unselfish lines. It can be crooked and cankerous, if fed with selfishness and lust. And it may remain useless, if it is not put to use due to laziness and lethargy. Blessed are the people who can make use of the intellect for their own fulfilment and for the betterment of society. Fools are they who keep the gift of reason unused. Mediocre are they who use it only for the day's needs. Intelligent are they who use it for elevating themselves. Wise are they who use reason for seeing good in all. It is after all everybody's responsibility to see that the intellect is put to full use - Professor K.Subrahmanyam (Values in Education)

A Thought for Today-119: October 21, 2007

Every moment is full of possibilities. It only requires your keen appreciation and best use of it to prove them to the world - Tondaradipodi Alwar

An African Old Saying

Every morning in Africa,

a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must outrun

the fastest lion

Or it will be killed.

Every morning in Africa,

a lion wakes up.

It knows it must run

faster than the slowest gazelle

Or it will starve.

It does not matter whether

You are a lion or a gazelle.

When the sun comes up,

you would better be running.

Wit and Wisdom-1:

* People who live very close to office arrive late for work.

* Those who arrive late also tend to leave early.

* There is a strange virus that seems to make people fall ill the day before or after a holiday.

* Most bad rumours come true. Most good ones don't.

* If we know what to do, we do it. If we don't know what to do, we talk about it.

If we don't know how to talk about it, we write a report about it.

* The boss is not always right but the boss is always the boss.

* One percent of something is better than ten percent of nothing.

* Victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan.

* You get help in proportion to the help you give, but not from the same people.

* Generally, those who never make mistakes, never make anything.

* If you succeed, you will be called lucky. If you don't, you will be called stupid.

- William Deanley

Self-Improvement-5: "Tips for Better Human Relations"

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a a cheerful

word of greeting.

2. Smile at people. It takes 72 muscles to frown; only 14 to

smile.

3. Call people by name. The sweetest music to any one's ears is

the sound of his own name.

4. Be friendly and helpful. If you should have friends, be

friendly.

5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine

pleasure.

6. Be genuinely interested in people. You can like everybody if

you try.

7. Be generous with praise, cautious with criticism.

8. Be considerate of the feelings of others. There are three

sides of a controversy - yours, the other fellow's and the

right one.

9. Be alert to give service. What counts most in life is what we

do for others.

Courtesy: Children's Digest, April 1998

A Thought for Today-118: October 20, 2007

Wealth is not power; Strength is not power; Knowledge is not power; Abilities and accomplishments are not power; CHARACTER IS POWER. Character is power when it is charged with ethical purity and spiritual serenity - Prof.K.Subrahmanyam (Values in Education).

Grateful thanks to Professor K.Subrahmanyam.

Self-Improvement-4: What makes you Happy in Life? - Fr Jose Panthaplamthottiyil, Chief Editor, Children’s Digest

“What makes you happy in life?” My question was not pre-meditated or well-planned. As I saw angelic face bubbling with joy and enthusiasm, the question popped out of my mouth even before I knew it. He paused. Then with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, he said: “I am happy when I do the right things in life.”

“Excellent!” My response was spontaneous. Then I realized that there was a tear in my eyes. For a brief moment I was choked with emotion by listening to the wisdom of an eleven-year-old boy! A few months later, as I walked into Christ College, as a lecturer in 1991, I was curious to find out how our first-year Pre-University students would respond to my question. In some of the classes I went to, I asked the students to write down three most important things that make them happy in their life.

Their answers were diverse and numerous. However, some of them were common and identical. Most students wrote their family makes them happy. The second most common answer was that their friends make them happy. Here are a few other things they thought would really make them happy in their life: good marks, sports, movies, good jobs, helping others and being loved.

As I scanned through their answers I was pleasantly surprised in several respects. Is it not a familiar saying that ‘getting things and having things’ really make us all happy? Then how is it that most students chose family and friends as what really make them happy? Another thing that surprised me was the near absence of the mention of money in their answers. Am I to believe that they know better when the whole world seemingly is going after money as if nothing matters in this life? Anyway, they seemed to think that money is something that can buy everything in this world except happiness.

Also, they did not think of food and drink either when they searched for answers to my question. It is like they have already learned at this young age that the pleasure derived from food and drink is transient while happiness is something that really runs deep in our lives.

Our young students seem to find happiness at home with parents who care and with brothers and sisters who share their love. They find happiness when they are with their true friends. They also find happiness when they help others. Their happiness is real. No doubt about it. If they can find happiness in so many different ways, why is it that some of the adults among us think that true happiness is like a butterfly that is always beyond our grasp?

As I walked back to my residence, the words of Jesus came to my mind: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to the merest children.”

Yet, I sadly remembered that some of these very same students will probably lose their innocence very fast as they begin to grow up in our confused world. That made me wonder whether the grown-ups could do anything to make this world a better place to grow up for our students. Then I heard the eleven-year-old boy saying with a chuckle: “By doing the right things in life!”

Courtesy: Children's Digest (Date not known).

Grateful thanks to The Children's Digest.

Self-Improvement-3: Virtues which helped Benjamin Franklin achieve greatness

* Temperance
* Silence
* Order
* Resoluteness
* Frugality
* Industry
* Sincerity
* Justice
* Moderation
* Cleanliness
* Tranquillity
* Chastity
* Humility

Eyecatchers-40 : Plants may walk in the next century - Energy Era

The next century may see plants that can walk or animals that can photosynthesise, according to scientists.

At the same time, the distinction between computer and living beings would be blurred and computing would be so advanced that flawless future prediction would be a routine affair. US scientist Charles R.Canter told the final session of the 13th International Biophysics Congress in New Delhi recently.

With the advancement of modern biology, computer science and genetic engineering, the possibility of such “blue sky” events to become a reality is increasing day by day.

“Evolutionary methods can be extended to produce novel organisms such as walking plants or an animal capable of producing its own food using sunlight and some chemicals (photosynthesis),” Cantor, one of the pioneers of human genome project (a world-wide project to map human genome completely) and currently chief scientific officer of Sequenom Inc, California, USA, said.

However, the scientists said a wide gap between theory and practice still exists. Cantor said very soon there would a direct computer human interface which would enable humans to communicate with computers directly.

Already scientists in Caltech, US, have made an artificial nose that can smell like a human being.

Recently a group of German scientists from Munich has discovered that there is a strong possibility of crosstalk between a brain cell and a silicon chip, Nobel Laureate Erwin Nehrer said.

“Such discoveries would help achieve a human-computer interface where both sides can communicate with each other directly.”

Courtesy: Energy Era, Guwahati, October 1, 1999.

Grateful thanks to Energy Era.

A Thought for Today-117: October 19, 2007

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him - Unknown

A Thought for Today-116: October 18, 2007

Cleverness is when you believe only a half of what you hear. Brilliance is when you know which half to believe - Unknown

A Thought for Today-115: October 17, 2007

Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage - they force us to THINK - Unknown