What's on my mind
I read a book a few days back and since then i just can't stop thinking about what it says.
A NEW EARTH - Awakening to your life's purpose by Eckhart Tolle
I borrowed the book from my chithappa and i think that must have been one of my life defining moments (ye all, hear the clap of thunder that adds significance to an otherwise dull moment).
It is a spiritual book, but not boring, and it is not religion specific. Although written by a German, with loads of inputs from the bible, it did not affect my belief in the Hindu faith.
Following is an extract from the book -
"THE DUCK WITH A HUMAN MIND
After two ducks get into a fight, which never lasts long, they will separate and float off in opposite directions. Then each duck will flap its wings vigorously a few times; thus releasing the surplus energy that built up during the fight. After they flap their wings, they float on peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened. If the duck had a human mind, it would keep the fight alive by thinking, by story-making. This would probably be the duck's story: “I don't believe what he just did. He came to within five inches of me. He thinks he owns this pond. He has no consideration for my private space. I'll never trust him again. Next time he'll try something else just to annoy me. I'm sure he's plotting something already. But I'm not going to stand for this. I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget.” And on and on the mind spins its tales, still thinking and talking about it days, months, or years later. As far as the body is concerned, the fight is still continuing, and the energy it generates in response to all those thoughts is emotion, which in turn generates more thinking. This becomes the emotional thinking of the ego. you can see how problematic the duck's life would become if it had a human mind. But this is how most humans live all the time."
I don't know about you, but i've done a lot of thinking like that, and when i read this, i was really surprised. How beautifully and simply he has illustrated such a complicated matter!
Ever since, i've been trying to be aware. Aware of my feelings, aware of my thoughts, because i am not my thoughts, but more than that. If the thoughts were me, who is thinking them? Everybody talks about losing control, but i wonder how many people had it in the first place. How many of us can say that we are aware that we are thinking? It's like a dream - most don't know it's a dream till they are awakened, but a few awaken in their dreams itself, and they know that whatever happens won't affect who they are.
Here's a little experiment for you -
"FEELING THE INNER BODY
Although body-identification is one of the most basic forms of ego, the good news is that it is also the one that you can most easily go beyond. This is done not by trying to convince yourself that you are not your body, but by shifting your attention from the external form of your body and from thoughts about your body – beautiful, ugly, strong, weak, too fat, too thin – to the feeling of aliveness inside it. No matter what your body's appearance is on the outer level, beyond the outer form it is an intensely alive energy field.
If you are not familiar with “inner body” awareness, close your eyes for a moment and find out if there is life inside your hands. Don't ask your mind. It will say, “ I can't feel anything.” Probably it will also say, “Give me something more interesting to think about.” So instead of asking your mind, go to the hands directly. By this I mean become aware of the subtle feeling of aliveness inside them. It is there. You just have to go there with your attention to notice it. you may get a slight tingling sensation at first, then a feeling of energy or aliveness. If you hold your attention in your hands for a while, the sense of aliveness will intensify. Some people won't even have to close their eyes. They will be able to feel their “inner hands” at the same times as they read this. Then go to your feet, keep your attention there for a minute or so, and begin to feel your hands and feet at the same time. Then incorporate other parts of the body – legs, arms, abdomen, chest, and so on – into that feeling until you are aware of the inner body as a global sense of aliveness.
What I call the “inner body” isn't really the body anymore but life energy, the bridge between form and formlessness. Make it a habit to feel the inner body as often as you can. After a while, you won't need to close your eyes anymore to feel it. For example, see if you can feel the inner body whenever you listen to someone. It almost seems like a paradox: When you are in touch with the inner body, you are not identified with your body anymore, nor are you identified with your mind. This is to say, you are no longer identified with form but moving away from form-identification toward formlessness, which we may also call Being. It is your essence identity. Body awareness not only anchors you in the present moment, it is a doorway out of the prison that is the ego. It also strengthens the immune system and the body's ability to heal itself."
Here's one of my own little anecdotes about the ego -
Once, in class, i saw a sheet of paper lying on the ground. It must have belonged to the girl sitting in front of me. My immediate thought was to pick it up and give it to her, but something stopped me. I didn't really like the girl much. I wasn't at all sure that she would have bothered to to help me. So why should i? In the end, i thought - 'what the hell it's just a bit of paper, stop breaking your head over it' and i picked it up to give it to her, and to my surprise, it was my own sheet, one that i'd been frantically looking for just a while ago. At that moment, i think i learnt something. You will too, either after reading this, or most probably from some incident that you'll experience yourself. Sounds cliched i bet, but hey! It's true - Life's too short to be wasted in playing mind games. Let us enjoy the little things because they give us the most happiness. The feel of a pebble, splashing in the waves, the gentle breeze, and watching the squirrels and birds at play. Top class entertainment at minimal charge.
P.S : I sincerely suggest that you get a copy of the book. If you are not ready to read it now, put it away. I think you are bound appreciate it later.
A NEW EARTH - Awakening to your life's purpose by Eckhart Tolle
I borrowed the book from my chithappa and i think that must have been one of my life defining moments (ye all, hear the clap of thunder that adds significance to an otherwise dull moment).
It is a spiritual book, but not boring, and it is not religion specific. Although written by a German, with loads of inputs from the bible, it did not affect my belief in the Hindu faith.
Following is an extract from the book -
"THE DUCK WITH A HUMAN MIND
After two ducks get into a fight, which never lasts long, they will separate and float off in opposite directions. Then each duck will flap its wings vigorously a few times; thus releasing the surplus energy that built up during the fight. After they flap their wings, they float on peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened. If the duck had a human mind, it would keep the fight alive by thinking, by story-making. This would probably be the duck's story: “I don't believe what he just did. He came to within five inches of me. He thinks he owns this pond. He has no consideration for my private space. I'll never trust him again. Next time he'll try something else just to annoy me. I'm sure he's plotting something already. But I'm not going to stand for this. I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget.” And on and on the mind spins its tales, still thinking and talking about it days, months, or years later. As far as the body is concerned, the fight is still continuing, and the energy it generates in response to all those thoughts is emotion, which in turn generates more thinking. This becomes the emotional thinking of the ego. you can see how problematic the duck's life would become if it had a human mind. But this is how most humans live all the time."
I don't know about you, but i've done a lot of thinking like that, and when i read this, i was really surprised. How beautifully and simply he has illustrated such a complicated matter!
Ever since, i've been trying to be aware. Aware of my feelings, aware of my thoughts, because i am not my thoughts, but more than that. If the thoughts were me, who is thinking them? Everybody talks about losing control, but i wonder how many people had it in the first place. How many of us can say that we are aware that we are thinking? It's like a dream - most don't know it's a dream till they are awakened, but a few awaken in their dreams itself, and they know that whatever happens won't affect who they are.
Here's a little experiment for you -
"FEELING THE INNER BODY
Although body-identification is one of the most basic forms of ego, the good news is that it is also the one that you can most easily go beyond. This is done not by trying to convince yourself that you are not your body, but by shifting your attention from the external form of your body and from thoughts about your body – beautiful, ugly, strong, weak, too fat, too thin – to the feeling of aliveness inside it. No matter what your body's appearance is on the outer level, beyond the outer form it is an intensely alive energy field.
If you are not familiar with “inner body” awareness, close your eyes for a moment and find out if there is life inside your hands. Don't ask your mind. It will say, “ I can't feel anything.” Probably it will also say, “Give me something more interesting to think about.” So instead of asking your mind, go to the hands directly. By this I mean become aware of the subtle feeling of aliveness inside them. It is there. You just have to go there with your attention to notice it. you may get a slight tingling sensation at first, then a feeling of energy or aliveness. If you hold your attention in your hands for a while, the sense of aliveness will intensify. Some people won't even have to close their eyes. They will be able to feel their “inner hands” at the same times as they read this. Then go to your feet, keep your attention there for a minute or so, and begin to feel your hands and feet at the same time. Then incorporate other parts of the body – legs, arms, abdomen, chest, and so on – into that feeling until you are aware of the inner body as a global sense of aliveness.
What I call the “inner body” isn't really the body anymore but life energy, the bridge between form and formlessness. Make it a habit to feel the inner body as often as you can. After a while, you won't need to close your eyes anymore to feel it. For example, see if you can feel the inner body whenever you listen to someone. It almost seems like a paradox: When you are in touch with the inner body, you are not identified with your body anymore, nor are you identified with your mind. This is to say, you are no longer identified with form but moving away from form-identification toward formlessness, which we may also call Being. It is your essence identity. Body awareness not only anchors you in the present moment, it is a doorway out of the prison that is the ego. It also strengthens the immune system and the body's ability to heal itself."
Here's one of my own little anecdotes about the ego -
Once, in class, i saw a sheet of paper lying on the ground. It must have belonged to the girl sitting in front of me. My immediate thought was to pick it up and give it to her, but something stopped me. I didn't really like the girl much. I wasn't at all sure that she would have bothered to to help me. So why should i? In the end, i thought - 'what the hell it's just a bit of paper, stop breaking your head over it' and i picked it up to give it to her, and to my surprise, it was my own sheet, one that i'd been frantically looking for just a while ago. At that moment, i think i learnt something. You will too, either after reading this, or most probably from some incident that you'll experience yourself. Sounds cliched i bet, but hey! It's true - Life's too short to be wasted in playing mind games. Let us enjoy the little things because they give us the most happiness. The feel of a pebble, splashing in the waves, the gentle breeze, and watching the squirrels and birds at play. Top class entertainment at minimal charge.
P.S : I sincerely suggest that you get a copy of the book. If you are not ready to read it now, put it away. I think you are bound appreciate it later.
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