the sixty spiritual reflections of Anil S Prasad

About The Author Name: Native Place: Parents: Wife: Family-Daughters: Son-in-law: Grandson:

Anil. S. Prasad Santanutala Padu, India Kotaiah, Adi Laxmi Kanaka Durga Adhineta, Saini Nanda Gopal Abhinay Krishna

Profession:

Medical Doctor

Residence: Spiritual Guru:

Kalamazoo, MI, USA Swami Bodhananda Saraswati

Facebook Pages:

1) My Spiritual Journey 2) Adhyatmika Vidya Prasadam 3) Anilaalaapanalu (n“ý²ý²bÍq\T) 4) Seva Prasadam

Books Written:

1) Gita Prasadam 2) The 60 Spiritual Reflections

Past Experience:

Principal Aditya Public School Ongole, AP, India

Present Positions:

1) Physician Battle Creek, MI, USA 2) Trustee & Vice President Sambodh Society Ashram, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

Future Ambitions: 1) Service To Divinity Through Service To Humanity 2) Studying And Spreading Advaita Vedantic Phlosophy 3) Contemplation And Self Realization

THE SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS

OF ANIL. S. PRASAD

THE 60 SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS

Of ANIL S. PRASAD

By Dr. Anil Sudnagunta Prasad ©:Authors First Edition: 2017 EDItINg: Ruth Small, Ph.D. trustee, Secretary & Director of Programs Sambodh Society Ashram, Kalamazoo, MI, USA LAyOUt & COvER DESIgN: Mahesh Malekar For Copies: PALAPITTA BOOKS # 16-11-20/6/1/1, Flat No. 403, vijayasai Residency, Saleem Nagar, Malakpet, Hyderabad - 500 036 Email: palapittabooks@gmail.com Phone: 040-2767 8430 Printed at: Marvellous Printers, Nallakunta, Hyderabad.

Price: Rs. 108/$ 4.50 Email: asprasad@hotmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anil.prasad.716 Phone: 001- 419 490 6366

A BRIEF OUTLOOK ABOUT MY BOOK "What is the sole purpose of living our life?"

"Is there a reason that I was given human life?" “Im I just one among other creatures on earth?"

"Is there any specific reason for human birth?"

From time immemorial, these have been questions of mankind.

Same old questions started churning process in my mind.

Intense quest to get answers to these questions, Is the mother of inventions of these sixty reflections.

Using my experience as teacher, I taught myself.

Using my experience as doctor, I healed my self.

Being a spiritual seeker, I tried hard to uncover myself.

This book of my compilations helped to discover my Self.

Life itself is the best big book to read and learn.

Each day of life is a page, which can teach a lesson.

If one can use each lesson as a tool of introspection, Life unfolds its purpose, showing the direction to perfection.

My Guru, Swami Bodhananda, during spiritual discussions, Identified a hidden poet in me, waiting for his expressions.

My Guru unearthed and woke up the spiritual poet in me.

Every spiritual thought started coming out as a poem from me.

Each thought is a spring, came after deep digging of my mind.

Each reflection is a seedling, sprouted out of spiritual seed in my mind.

Every compilation caused its share of inner transformation in me.

Every step of transformation created a new reflection from me.

These alternate steps of transformation and new reflection.

Made me move forward towards the goal of Self-Realization.

The purpose of bringing these reflections in form of a booklet, Is to share with fellow spiritual seekers as a gift from my heart.

This book can be read as a stimulator of mind.

In spiritual travel, It can be used as travel guide.

This book can also be used as leisure time read.

It’s my wish, that every reader will get benefited.

ANIL. S. PRASAD

Former Principal, correspondent Aditya Public School, Ongole, AP, India.

Physician, Battle Creek, Michigan,USA Trustee, Vice President, Acharya Sambodh Society Ashram Kalamazoo, MI, USA

FOREWORD Dr. Anil Prasad is a born poet and a natural seeker. He is soaked in spiritual ecstasy. Words, images, metaphors and similes cascade like a torrent from his fertile imagination, some times breaking the boundaries of grammar rules, often creating a unique style of prosody, which can be taken as an expression of poetic license.

These sixty poems covering a range of spiritual themes, moral issues and life skill lessons are a veritable feast for the discerning reader.

Dr. Prasad has successfully brought together- the breadth of his professional knowledge, the wisdom gleaned from his spiritual study and practices, insights gathered from acute observation of nature, and the valuable lessons learnt from each and every encounter with people, in his effort to synthesize an all encompassing vision for practical living. " News feeds did not attract; Friends request did not tempt; Red on messenger did not have any effect; Notification did not make me react" - these lines are a perfect example of his understanding of the modern world and its insidious traps. Lessons from the "Parking Lot" was another instance of how Prasad derives meaning from ordinary experiences.

"The experience of changelessness of change is the experience of consciousness, that doesn't change" is a sentence of word play that conveys deeper meaning. Dr. Prasad's reflections on , "Journey from being to becoming", "Speaking and seeking", "Caring and sharing", "A sorry can cure", "Let go" and others of the same genre are forceful moral lessons.

Pithy constructions like, "past is gone, future is not born, present is a boon" and "effort is given by us, result is given to us", "peace leads to handshakes and violence ends in handcuffs", "attitude of gratitude gives spiritual altitude" etc. are striking messages and stay with the reader like a spell.

It is characteristic of Dr. Prasad, on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday, to think of offering his reading of life, his understanding of the ups and downs, the twists and turns, the good and the bad of his eventful life's journey as a bouquet of memorable wisdom statements to his friends, relatives and colleagues.

Prasad's chromosomes have a teacher's DNA and through these poems he amply manifests his inheritance as a fitting tribute to his teacher-father.

I enjoyed reading these free flowing prose poems.

And I have no hesitation in recommending them to the wider public.

By SWAMI BODHANANDA SARASVATI Chairman, Sambodh Foundation INDIA & The Sambodh Society Inc. USA

A WORD ABOUT ANIL PRASAD Dr. Anil Prasad arrived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in search of a spiritual preceptor after Satya Sai Baba, his first guru attained Mahasamadhi.

Swami Bodhananda, the founder and spiritual leader of the Sambodh Society, headquartered in Kalamazoo, asked Dr. Prasad to move to Kalamazoo (he was living in Toledo, Ohio at the time). Dr. Prasad soon found a position at the Veteran’s Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan, making such a move possible. Since then, he has been elected a trustee of the Sambodh Society, Inc., and has become an integral part of the organization, contributing in multiple ways to the progress of the Society and the Sambodh Center for Human Excellence.

Dr. Prasad arrived at his current status of a physician and spiritual seeker in an interesting way. Starting as a teacher in a school that he established to inculcate human values as an integral part of the curriculum, he proved to be successful teacher. At the age of forty, he decided to become a medical doctor to be able to contribute to health care, obtained a medical degree and started his practice at the age of fifty.

Swami Bodhananda encouraged Dr. Prasad to put his talent as a poet to good use by translating the Bhagavad-Gita into his native language, Telugu, in a similar poetic format. Dr. Prasad completed the translation and published the work a few months ago. It has been well-received. He is now working on a similar poetic commentary on the Gita in English.

Under the guidance of Swam Bodhananda, Dr. Prasad has been pondering on the most profound of the questions we all have: What does life really mean?” Contemplations on the subjects of the Soul, Self, and the purpose of life has brought forth some important spiritual thoughts.

As he turned sixty, Dr. Prasad decided to enter the “Vanaprasthashrama”, or withdraw from the daily hustle and bustle of life and enter the forest symbolically to continue his contemplation. On this occasion, he has decided to share his thoughts on various aspects of life in this book.

I have known Dr. Prasad since he joined Sambodh. It is my pleasure to write an introduction to his work. I hope you find it as profound and thought-provoking as I did.

Pradip Sagdeo, Ph.D

Trustee & Chief Purohit Sambodh Society, Kalamazoo, MI, USA.

CONTENTS 1)

Why We Speak Loudly in Anger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

2)

If We Want to Shine Like the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

3)

The Difference Between a Hungry Mind and a Happy Mind . . . . .10

4)

All Our Pursuits Are Beating Around Bush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

5)

Love At First Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

6)

Why Simplicity in Life is Not Really Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

7)

Losing Isn’t Always a Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

8)

God Never Closes All the Doors Once . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

9)

What is Birth? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

10) Who Am I? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 11) An Outlook on Pain and Pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 12) Gestures of Patience and Intellectual Discrimination . . . . . . . . . . .19 13) O God! Help Me Not to Become a Victim of the “Fame Game.” . . .20 14) A Loving Daughter and Father Trying to Teach Each Other . . . . . .21 15) No Doubt, God is in the Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 16) What is the Best Way to Live Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 17) To Know your Attachments, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 18) I Learned My Lesson of the Day in the Parking Lot . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 19) Journey from Being to Becoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 20) We Say, "My Eyes, My Hands, My Body and My Mind.” . . . . . . . . . . .27 21) Speaking and Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 22) Spiritual Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 23) Caring and Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 24) Purpose of Life is to be Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 25) Apologies Create a Win-Win Situation in Friendship . . . . . . . . . . . .32 26) The Meaning of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 27) There are Only Two: “I” and “It” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 28) Pursue the Purpose of Life, Instead of the Purse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 29) Detachment is not Just Keeping Things at a Distance . . . . . . . . . . .36 30) A Change May Initially Appear to be Difficult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

CONTENTS 31) Jealousy is the Secret Admiration of Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 32) Thoughts about Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 33) Giving Always Gives Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 34) Faith is the Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 35) Life Without Desire is Impossible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 36) “Die” before Your ActualDeath, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 37) Let Us Search: There is Peace in Pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 38) Time is Money, when it Comes to Parenting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 39) Soul Witness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 40) Fear is the Favorite Food of Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 41) The Difference Between Us and the Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 42) The Expression of Gratitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 43) Wealth is not Our Possessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 44) Childhood, Youth, Adult, and Old Age Finding a Message . . . . . . .51 45) The Link Between Efforts and Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 46) The Past Is Gone, the Future is not yet Born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 47) Peace and Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 48) When Love becomes Natural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 49) Freedom is Not Doing What We Want to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 50) Defining the Quality of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 51) The Best Way to Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 52) Happiness is Not in External Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 53) Let God be There: Why Should I Care? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 54) Life after Death: Myth or Truth? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 55) Life is a Huge Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 56) Thinking, Talking and Writing about God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 57) Silence is a Powerful Language for a Spiritual Person . . . . . . . . . . .64 58) What is Not Inside Our Heart, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 59) Our Inability to Increase Longevity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 60) Practicing an Attitude of “Letting Go” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

1)

Why We Speak Loudly in Anger Why Lovers Only Whisper; and, Why We are Silent in Prayer When we are immersed in anger, Even if the other person is very near, We shout at him, speaking very much louder, As if the other person is very far.

When love overflows between lovers, Whether they are very far or very near, Whether by phone or directly, they only whisper, As if that other dear person is very near.

When we watch a blooming flower in our garden, When we enjoy the Sunrise on the eastern horizon, Our thoughts relate with nature through emotion, And silence becomes tool of our communication.

When we dive into ocean of devotion, With the Divine, where we are one to One; No loud voice; we don't whisper; thoughts disappear.

Then “thoughtless� meditation becomes a powerful communicator.

Anger increases the distance between two hearts.

An angry person shouts when he communicates, And he consumes lot of energy to cover that distance.

He shouts even if the other person is at an arm's distance.

When lovers talk, their love brings them closer, And, while communicating, they only whisper.

All energy that was consumed by an angry person, Is conserved, by lovers, and converted into love for the other person.

With Divinity, when we have a one to One connection, There is no distance to cover, in that ocean of devotion.

Divinity, devotee and devotion, all three become one, Thoughtless,as there is no need for communication.

Then, there is no energy consumption or conservation: The energy and language of silence become a major role in devotion.

Silence is not having any communication; The Sound of Silence is a powerful tool of communication.

8

The 60 Spiritual Reflections

2)

If We Want to Shine Like the Sun We Must First Burn Like the Sun The Sun provides light for the whole of mankind.

Burning night and day. He gives heat to the world, Without expecting anything in return from us.

He does His prescribed duty for the sake of us.

It is because of the Sun that the Earth moves.

It is because of the Sun that the water flows.

The Sun moves the air and makes the fire.

The Sun is the one who controls space entirely.

Everything depends upon the Sun, but the Sun depends on no one.

The Sun gives to everyone, but, in return, the Sun gets nothing from anyone.

These are unique qualities attributable to God, And the reason many consider the Sun as the Lord.

Science may call Him a fireball, not God, Though He has all the qualities to be called the Lord.

God is one who is above and around all in every respect.

God is the one who is in all, even inside a tiny insect.

The heat of the Sun maintains inner body temperature of everybody.

The Sun maintains whole atmosphere around and above everybody.

Being inside, above and around us, the Sun is the Savior of the world.

The Sun has every attribute of Divinity to be called the Lord.

The Sun gives an open message to the entire world: “Without giving, you don't have right of living in this world.”

We shouldn't think that we have to have to give; Without having anything, still we all can give.

The sincere thought of giving, itself, is giving, A simple word of loving can be serving, Showing kindness can be a noble deed, The wish to love and serve is all that we need.

I wrote this on auspicious “Rathasaptami”day.

We worship the Sun on this day.

The lesson of the day is a lesson from the Sun: Burn like the Sun to shine like the Sun.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

9

3)

The Difference Between a Hungry Mind and a Happy Mind A Hungry Patient in his Hour of Need On day, in the morning, I was seeing a patient, Who was not properly answering my questions.

There was an abnormal pause between my question and his answer.

Patiently, I asked the patient, "Are you all right, Sir?" He responded, "Can I go and get some water?"

Empathetically, I asked, "What is the matter?"

Then he said, avoiding eye contact, “I am hungry.”

"To buy the breakfast, I don't have the money" I closed our appointment in its midst.

Taking the patient to the cafeteria for breakfast, I told the patient, "Whatever you wish to eat, please get it," To make patient comfortable, I ordered coffee with it.

As the patient was eating, I heard his choked voice, Telling me, “Thanks,” with almost teary eyes.

Not melting, I buried my feelings to maintain professionalism, I nodded my head, and with a hand touch expressed humanitarianism.

To continue our session, we came back to my office room.

While answering my questions, I saw the patient in full form.

What a difference between a hungry mind and a happy mind!

God worked through me to feed His child in an hour of need.

It should have made me feel good to feed this patient, But it didn't. In fact, it created aching inside my heart.

It should have made me feel proud, to remove his hunger, But it didn't. In fact, it made me feel sad: “Why didn’t it?” I wonder.

I don't know why God created this incident for me; Instead of feeling good, why did He create this ache in me?

Instead of making me feel proud, why did He make me feel sad?

Surely, there is a lesson behind this taught by God. I felt guilty to live with so many comforts, And people nearby with starving stomachs.

May be, it is time for me to downsize my comforts?

May be it is time to envision God in suffering hearts?

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

4)

All Our Pursuits Are Beating Around Bush They Cannot Get The Bird Inside The Bush Spouse, children, grand children, every relation House, cars, dress, television and vacation Beauty, money, power, pride and recognition By getting these we try to be the happy persons These pursuits give only temporary satisfaction After some time, disappointments are still common The best things in life are not the these things There are better things in life than the best things Spouses eventually have to separate Children, grand children gradually go out House, cars etc do not come with us Beauty, money, power, pride all are gone from us As long as we measure our prosperity with these possessions As long as we count our property based on these acquisitions As long as, in these things, we try to look for happiness We are just beating around the bush to find the happiness Whereas, real happiness is inside the bush This are only traces of it around the bush Reaching only up to fence, we enjoy the traces Satisfying with traces, we don't take further steps No doubt these possessions give us some happiness Independent of these acquisitions is there more happiness In order to find it we need to go inside the fence That bush is inside us, where there is eternal Bliss There is ocean of happiness deep in our heart We are using things as spoons to draw a bit of it If we dig deep, instead of using spoons & forks to excavate The ocean of happiness springs out to let us bathe in it So let us not stop at possessions to be happy They make us happy but don't stay permanently Lets go beyond these to win the deep eternal happiness Those treasures are deep in us as Divine Consciousness

Of Anil. S. Prasad

11

5)

Love At First Sight How To Make It Last He liked her at first sight; She liked him the next moment.

They became friends on day two, And turned into lovers on day three.

He gave up smoking, because she asked him; She gave up shopping, for the sake of him; They thought they were made for each other; They married and then started living together.

He restarted smoking, as his habit wasn't dead; She started shopping, as her habit hadn’t left her head.

Expectation between each other increased; The excitation in being together decreased.

Before, they thought, “Happiness was in living together;” Now they think, “Happiness is in leaving each other.”

While on their way to meet a lawyer, Instead, they came upon a spiritual counselor.

Counselor advised, “Marriage is not only giving; Marriage also includes the value of forgiving.

Try to see the best things in the other person to love, Instead of pointing out bad thingsand reasons to leave.”

They received his spiritual counseling, And decided to start a new way of living.

They started loving each other as they are, Stopping false sacrifices for sake of the other.

Instead of asking others to change, They started to change without any exchange.

Each started loving instead of asking for love; Their marriage bonding is now long lasting love.

Many marriages are being broken, Because of each other’s expectations.

Finding a perfect life partner is quite difficult; Mending a relationship to be a good spouse is smart.

Marriage is made of mutual adjustment, And, the enjoyment of that adjustment.

Marriage is adjustment out of mutual love; Gradually, we forget about adjusting and then love.

12

The 60 Spiritual Reflections

6)

Why Simplicity in Life is Not Really Simple Why People Prefer Complexity To live simply we need very little; To have little, we don't need to struggle.

Though simple living is easy.

It, somehow, does not keep us happy.

We don't prefer to live simply.

For simple living we don't care about struggle.

So to live simply is not really simple, Is proven by people living at every level.

To be healthy is simple: eat as little as possible; We complicate health, eating everything possible.

To live happily is simple, taking care of our basic need.

We complicate life,keeping busy to meet our greed.

What prevents us from living simply?

Why aren't we satisfied with a little?

Why is it that simplicity doesn't attract us?

Why is it that we build complexity around us?

In order to adapt to simpler living, We need to adopt some higher thinking, But mind runs after objects, making them our goal, Prevents the subject from moving towards the inner Soul.

Mind that grows in an inner dimension, Tries to find the route for Self-Realization.

The mind that grows in the outer dimension, Attempts to end in selfish satisfaction.

Outer growth of mind attracts objects in our vicinity; These attractions take us away from our simplicity.

Inner growth of mind attracts the Divinity; Divine attraction removes us from complexity.

We need to change our path of mind to cultivate simplicity; We should understand our own mind to remove complexity.

Worldly thoughts make our life full of complexity, The mind that understands this turns inward towards simplicity.

Then without any effort, life becomes simple; Voluntarily, without force, we learn to live with little.

Then simple living becomes the fabric of our life; Higher thinking helps to achieve purpose of our life.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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7)

Losing Isn’t Always a Loss Gaining Isn’t Always a Gain Surprises surprise us sometimes.

Surpassing ourselves is difficult, at times.

Power is not permanent anytime at all; We could end up as pauper in no time at all.

When we think that we are almost there; We end up right back where we were.

When we think that we are not quite so far, Someone comes, gives a push, and up we are.

When success is expected, Failure is difficult to be accepted.

Just when access to success has failed, Our thought process is likely to be derailed.

Maintaining equilibrium is difficult, When failure is haunting our heart.

Those few people who can take it very well, They are the thinkers of the Soul.

Lose or win,each can be a gain, If we view matters from our spiritual brain: The winner may become a great teacher, The loser may become a great learner.

In the short run, loss may cause bitter pain, In long run, there may be a better gain.

Loss or gain, if treated with equanimity, Life is filled with peace and spiritual divinity.

Pain in loss, and pleasure in gain exist only temporarily; Time wipes out both pain and pleasure eventually.

The wiser we are, the faster we recover from either of these, In either gain or loss, maintaining equilibrium is Bliss.

Let not compliments make us all excited.

Let not disappointments make us depressed.

Let's bow down our head amidst either of these.

Let them reach God who is the cause of these.

Bending the head down teaches us humility, Enabling us to see God in our heart‘s cavity.

It's best to accept gain or loss with equanimity, As its hidden cause is known only to Divinity.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

8)

God Never Closes All the Doors Once When He Closes One Door, He Opens Another God never closes all the doors at once, Unless it’s time for our “disappearance.”

When He closes one door, He opens another; We become frustrated, as we are unaware.

It is my personal observation of life, That God takes us to the lowest point once in life.

If we survive and still believe Him even then, He would never make us go through the pain again.

Let not the things taken by God make you worry; Let the things given by God make you merry.

God always takes very little from us; God always give more than he takes.

Please give the steering of your life to Him; Peace will be yours if your life is driven by Him. He knows how to handle turbulences; He knows how to take you above dark clouds.

Nothing lasts forever whether it’s pleasure or pain; Everything has to pass as the time runs.

No cloud is permanent; it goes out of sight.

Behind dark clouds the Sun waits to give light.

Every night is followed by a beautiful sunrise; Hard times may be the Lord's blessings in disguise.

Inside a hard coconut is a soft edible white; To enjoy the fruit, it has to patiently become ripe.

Let the faith become our breath.

Let surrender become our blood.

Let the trust become our heart, And the Lord occupy our every thought.

Then pleasure or pain won't affect us, As behind pain or gain we’ll see the Divine cause.

Then, in pleasure or pain, we’ll see only Him, And life becomes Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

15

9)

What is Birth?

A Thought from the Heart Birth is an appearance of form; Birth is not creation of our form.

Birth is not coming into existence; We have existed in our parents.

Dad carried us in the XY chromosomes; Mom carried us in the XX chromosomes.

We received one set from each of them, To attain this current human form.

Each of us is like a manufactured toy, Made of various materials living under the sky With a remote sensor installed in us, And a Divine Operator who has control of us.

The remote sensor is the Jivatma, the individual self.

The Divine Controller is Paramatma, the “Absolute Self” Our birth is nothing but His reappearance, Another candle shining with His brilliance.

Our birth didn't automatically happen; Every birth is part of a Divine plan.

All births have possible divine destination; If we don't make it, ours will be reincarnation.

Birth after birth, until there are no more re-births.

No rebirth, that is, if we reach our spiritual depth.

Spiritual depth is reached through Self-Realization; Self-Realization leads to birth termination.

Our appearance is called “birth;” Our disappearance is called “death.”

Existence is called God; Experience is called the life we lead.

Awareness is worldly interaction; Consciousness is Self-Recognition.

Happiness and sadness are transient; Neither property nor poverty are permanent.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

10) Who Am I? Am I a son? Am I a grandson?

Am I a father? Am I a brother?

All of the above are right answers, If the question means, “In relationship to others.”

Am I the body? No, I leave it when I am dead.

Am I the mind? No, it leaves me when I go to bed.

Am I the intellect? No, I don't have it when in anger.

So, “None of the Above” is the right answer.

Am I a doctor? No, that is only my profession.

Am I a home owner? No, that is only my possession.

Am I a man, No, that is only the gender of a person.

Then, I must be someone other than the above explanation.

Then, what is the ideal explanation my identity; What is the real definition of my personality?

Do I have an independent existence?

Then, who am I, in this vast Universe?

I know that I am here; Though I don't know from where I’ve come.

I would like to know, “Where will I go?

And where I will stay, after I go?

All above questions have one commonality, That is the “I,” the light ignited by the Divinity I am the spark of that divine Light; I am called as “This,” and the Light is called “That.”

“That” and “This,” both are complete; “This” has come from “That.”

When “This” merges with “That,” Then “That” only remains.

Once I learn that I am “That,” “That,” which always does exist, I understood that, this “I”came from “That.”

Later this “I” goes to “That” and resides in “That.”

“That,” which is unlimited, is called Paramatma; “This,” which is limited, is called as Jivatma.

Both are one and of the same; The only difference is in the name.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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11) An Outlook on Pain and Pleasure A Lesson Learned from this Pair We can't stop the good that is about to happen; We can't prevent the flood that is about to drown.

Things, that are destined to happen, will happen; Everything that happens has an unknown reason.

Some of us call it fate; some call it luck; Some may call it the result of our past work.

But everything that happens has a hidden lesson; Few learn the lesson; many look for an explanation.

When bad thing happens we ask,“Why only me?"

When good happens, we grab it thinking, "Lucky me?"

A problem is well tolerated by asking, "Why not me?"

In gratitude for good our best thanks is, "Why did God choose me?"

Pain from the same pinprick is felt differently by two people, Depending upon the difference in the pain tolerance of this couple.

Pleasure is also felt differently in each human being, Depending on their intellectual understanding.

Pain and pleasure are only a feeling in the mind; Their intensity depends upon how they are interpreted.

Proper spiritual training teaches “balance of mind,” To a seeker when pleasure or pain has happened.

A person who successfully finds the neutral point, Doesn't cry when he goes through very painful event, Doesn't fly in the sky when he gains very pleasurable objects, And maintains, always, his midpoint, believing both are divine gifts.

Pain is an intermission between two pleasure points; Pleasure is the interval between two painful events.

Pain and pleasure, both, are only transient; Even if we wish, they don't become permanent.

If we learn from pain the virtue of tolerance, If we learn from pleasure the art of obedience, Then pain and pleasure, both, can transform our life.

There is a reason why both pain and pleasure are part of life.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

12) Gestures of Patience and Intellectual Discrimination Gradually Give Us Spiritual Transformation Temptations try to pull us down; Frustrations try to tear us up; Impatience makes us react; Indiscrimination affects our intellect.

Let's not get tempted by the beautiful colors of the flowers; Let's be careful with painful thorns hidden in beautiful colors.

To separate, gently, flowers from every thorn, The arts of discrimination and patience we need to learn.

Let that patience and discrimination grow within us; Then let us leave the flowers to live their full life before us.

A beautiful flower transforms into a tasty, ripened fruit.

With patience and discrimination, the fruit falls at our feet.

Let that patience and discrimination grow and deepen; They will help us plant the seeds, after the fruit is eaten.

Seeds grow and give rise to many more plants and flowers; Honeybees, butterflies, and nature lovers find joy in flowers.

If we had plucked the flower for instant gratification, We would not have seen this beautiful flower garden.

If we had discarded the seeds after eating the fruit, The garden would not have given us many fruits to eat.

Patience and discrimination makes the world a better place; They let us live, let others live,and leave this place in peace.

Our purpose is to give more than we take in life; This story explains how to lead a purposeful life.

Small drops of water gradually can make a mighty ocean.

Small acts of kindness can consistently make a kindly person.

Small gestures of patience and discrimination, Surely can bring great spiritual transformation.

Temptations, then, teach us a lesson.

Then frustrations don't affect a person.

To patiently act in every situation without reacting, Discrimination will then become your habit – it’s a fact.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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13) O God! Help Me Not to Become a Victim of the “Fame Game.”

Save Me From this Trap if, Unconsciously, I’m Playing the Game If we are after name, we are running far away from our inner Self.

If we are after fame, we are burning our way to reach the Self.

Name and fame are both speed breakers on the spiritual path; And both are spiritual roadblocks that divert us back to a material path.

Name is a tasty appetizer causing our ego to wake up.

Fame is the fast food for our ego to fatten up.

Both of them are the cause of spiritual ill health; Finally, fattening ego puts spirituality to death.

Spirituality and popularity cannot go hand in hand; When we hold on to one, the other falls out of our hand.

If we try to ride on two horses at the same time, We will end up in no man's land in due time.

Attraction to fame and name is called preyas, a common human, natural weakness.

Renunciation of fame and name is called shreyas, uncommon, spiritual greatness.

Fame is like gambling: it’s a never-ending, tempting game; It’s never satisfying; it keeps growing like a wild forest flame.

Recognition from others becomes an expectation; Expectation is unacceptable for Self-Realization.

So, if we want to be spiritual and serious about it, We should avoid the fame game; we have to learn to be above it.

All the good works are divine projects; As God's hands, we are only His instruments.

Surgical instruments don't expect any name or fame; The Surgeon, Master of Instruments, is only eligible for fame.

Our mind can easily switch its moods.

Sometimes the mind resides in a spiritual mode.

Another time it changes to materialistic mood.

With your intellectual switch keep your mind in a spiritual mode.

This is what I was taught about “name-game.”

This is what I learned about the “fame-game.”

O God! Please help me! Prevent me from being a victim of the name-fame-game.

O Lord! Please save me, if, unconsciously, Im trapped in the name-fame-game.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

14) A Loving Daughter and Father Trying to Teach Each Other A father is fishing.

His daughter is watching.

When a fish is caught with his bait, The daughter's heart is upset.

Daughter asks her dad,“Please let it go!”

Father responds to the child, “You must grow!”

To father his child appears quite childish; As for the daughter, she feels the pain of the fish.

For fish it is life and death.

For dad it’s just fun, using a bait.

For the child, she feels pain in her heart, Making her feel very upset.

Fish is feeling the pain.

Dad is having the fun.

The child is in confusion, Pleading with her dad to leave it alone.

The fish thinks, “This man is selfish!”

The father thinks, "It’s only a fish.”

The child expresses love for the fish; The father thinks, “My daughter is childish.”

Everyone is correct from his or her own point of view: If only each one could be in other's shoes, There would be no conflict among these.

Love would prevail among them, giving peace.

In fact, it is not the child who is childish; It is the father who is childish; It is the father who is selfish, Ignoring his daughter's heartfelt wish.

Life is full of such incidents: And, if we watch our daily experience, Day by day we will become a better person, Until, one day, we become the best of persons.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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15) No Doubt, God is in the Temple But God is Not Only in the Temple There’s no doubt God is inside the temple, But not “ONLY” in the temple; He is also present in people.

Let's enjoy Him in everything and animal; Let's see everything around as God's visual.

Let's not treat the temple as a business place to purchase peace, By doing archana, and paying the deity a certain price.

Peace is priceless;the temple Deity doesn't sell this.

What’s inside a temple, if it is not a “praying and paying” place?

I go to the temple to show my gratitude to the Lord.

I pay for archana to show my thankfulness to God. I pray, not for any monitory pleasures or treasures; All I says is, “God! Thanks for carrying me on your shoulders.”

When we have that attitude of gratitude towards God, We can't spend even a moment without thanking of the Lord.

Without life energy, we are just a body mass; Remotely, God provides life energy, non-stop, without price.

God is like a mother, who always keeps her child in mind.

Her child does not always express gratitude using words.

Once in a while, the child gives a huge, loving hug to mother; I do the same, mentally, when I go to a temple anywhere.

A loving mother knows what her innocent baby needs.

Our Divine Father knows what his ardent devotee needs.

All we need to do is love and trust both mother and father, Who take care of our physical and spiritual needs altogether.

A mother may not give what the child wants; But she strives to give her child what child needs.

What the child wants may not be good for the child; What the child needs may be unknown to a childish mind.

What we ask of our Divine Father, may not be good for us (preyas); If we trust, our Divine Father won't forget to give the best for us (shreyas).

We pray to the Lord to fulfill desires based on only our past experiences, But He gives the best, knowing all, the past, present, and future tenses.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

16) What is the Best Way to Live Life How to Get the Best out of Life Our body is nothing but a piece of earth; That is where it finally reaches after death.

When life enters we call it, "our body."

When life leaves we call it, "a dead body."

Life is the fundamental energy that makes us live.

It’s the same universal energy that makes Universe move.

But a different definition to the life, we all give: "Our life is nothing but the way that we all live."

Life isn't just living; it’s inherent to every living thing; The life of human being is much more than just living.

Humanity is thought of as the most advanced of all beings, With the special faculty of intellectual thinking.

The fish was given gills, which it uses to explore the ocean; Birds were given wings, which they use to explore the horizon.

We humans were given the intellect, so that we could explore within; When we use it to its fullest extent, we experience the Divine.

Life’s purpose is to live to its fullest extent.

Life’s purpose is to live every dimension of it.

Life’s purpose is to enjoy every moment of it.

With the proper use of your intellect, one can experience it.

With pleasures and pains life appears chaotic.

With millions of thoughts the mind is busy traffic.

Desires and fear of failures make us neurotic.

Uninterrupted Bliss appears only theoretic.

Storm appears furious only in the periphery of it.

It’s very calm and quiet when we reach into eye of it.

Many of us experience life only from its periphery; We need to go to its center to experience life completely.

Understanding of pleasure and pain make us ready.

Organizing our thoughts properly makes us steady.

Educating desires makes our fears disappear.

The “eye” of life, the Inner Self, we start to discover.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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17) To Know your Attachments, Detach from Them for Some Time To know whether we are attached or not, It is better, for sometime, to detach from it.

If we can still be happy without having it, It means we are attached to it, but with detachment.

Some have said that Facebook can make us an addict.

I wanted to know if this is a true statement.

Even if the icon shows on the top of my phone, For almost more than six weeks, I did not even open.

News feeds did not attract me.

Friends’ requests did not tempt me.

“Red” on messenger didn't have any effect; Notifications did not make me react.

With it, I was the same person; Without it, I was the same old person.

What I did, during this six weeks, was a self-check, To know if I am addicted to my Facebook.

Attachment, with an attached mind, takes us down; Attachment, with a detached mind, helps us grow.

Enjoyment, without attachment or detachment, Helps us to move forward, towards the Realization point.

Little things in our life act as great teachers.

If we keep these open: mind, intellect, eyes, and ears.

Then life becomes a game, we play with the world; If we play it right, we become winners at the end.

Our culture has introduced many traditions, In order to break our habitual dependence.

Fasting tests our dependence on food.

Periodical brahmacharya tests the will power of mind.

To be awake the whole night tests our dependence on sleep.

Touching an elder’s feet is to break our deep-rooted ego.

Periodical silence is to break our habit of excess speaking.

Periodical abstinence is a powerful tool to foster Self-growing.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

18) I Learned My Lesson of the Day in the Parking Lot The other day I parked my car in a parking lot; I opened the car door and came out.

A pleasant breeze came out from surroundings, And the fragrance of jasmine flowers started coming.

As I was walking to my office building, This fragrance accompanied me while walking.

I took the elevator, and the fragrance was following; It came with me, in fact, until I opened my office door.

I was wondering, “Where is this fragrance coming from?”

Then, I found out, that another employee was using that perfume.

She had parked her car next to my car, just before me.

She walked the same way, and took the elevator, just before me.

This stimulated a spiritual thought in my mind: "How we still live after leaving this world?”

“What can we do to live even after our death?”

“How can we leave our footprints on this earth?”

She walked her way, leaving the fragrance; Walking the same way, I enjoyed that fragrance.

We should leave such fragrance, when we leave this world!

Our spiritual life creates such fragrance, that is, if we practice!

We take a lot from this world while we live.

We should also return at least something before we leave.

While living we should think, “What can I give?”

Our gift to world allows us live after we leave.

Many people before us lived this kind of life.

Here we are enjoying the fragrance of their lives.

If we can leave such fragrance while we live, As Divinity lives in humanity as an Eternal Wave.

Whatever we do for ourselves, while we live, will be gone; Whatever we do for others, before we are gone, will remain.

This is the lesson, I learned the other day in the parking lot: That we should leave our fragrance after we have gone.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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19) Journey from Being to Becoming The Journey of Self-Unfolding Being is where you start from in the beginning.

Becoming is where you want to be in the ending.

Being is the point of your origination; Becoming is reaching your destination.

Life is ajourney between these two tiny ends.

That travel takes you through too many bends.

Let’s watch carefully at each turning point; Let's catch it: surely, there is a learning point.

Every life experience is an opportunity to learn.

Every life acquaintance has “learning” money to earn.

Every situation we come across can teach us something, If our ears and eyes are open and -we start observing.

The money we earn may be lost and become another's.

The wisdom that we learn will always be ours.

Our money, as we spend it, will decrease in quantity.

The honey of wisdom, by sharing, enhances its own beauty.

A spiritual learner will never regret his learning.

It enhances our understanding about our own being.

Spiritual learning is the means to Unconditional Happiness, That we all have looked for, unsuccessfully, in worldly business.

We always say, “I like that; I like her,” or, “I like him."

We seldom say, “I like me; I like myself; I like the way that I am."

We try to relate to others without relating to our inner being.

Spirituality makes us learn, how to connect to our inner being.

The journey from being to becoming, It is the journey of Self-unfolding.

It is not a journey, in which we cover some distance.

It is a journey to the rediscovery of our “Self.”

In our life-journey to reach the God, We end by knowing that we are the God!

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

20) We Say, "My Eyes, My Hands, My Body and My Mind.”

We Never Ask: Who are We Referring to When We Use the “My” Word?

Growing only in one dimension, Will not take us to our destination.

A multi-dimensional approach is the best, To understand God at least a little bit.

The physical, emotional and spiritual approach, Together comprise the multi-dimensional approach.

Our ability to multi-task helps us to survive in the world.

A multi-dimensional approach helps to realize God! A physical approach helps to understand the body.

An emotional approach helps to understand the mind.

A Spiritual approach helps to understand the Soul.

A body-mind-Soul understanding is our ultimate goal.

The thought, that we are just human, Makes us limited, shrinks us down.

We are more than what we think; Within us we all have the Divine link.

In fact, we are all truly ageless; Krishna says this in Gita verses.

Introspection is the best guide; It shows, inside of us, the Lord.

If we look inside with an open mind, Inside each of us, God is found.

Worldly preoccupation may make us blind; Our preoccupations won’t show us what we want to find.

We always say, “My eyes, my hands, my body, my mind;” We never ask, “Who am I referring to?” using the “my” word.

“My” is the word that separates our being from our body; Finding that “I” is the life goal of everybody.

Our true “I” can be found only when we go within us; Our true “I” is a friend, inside, eagerly waiting for us.

Ignoring this inner, permanent treasure of true friendship, We are running after the transient pleasures of relationships.

Of Anil.

SIXTY S.SPIRITUAL Prasad THOUGHTS of Anil’s Prasad 27

21) Speaking and Seeking A seeker should be a good listener, Before he becomes a good speaker: Speaking consumes energy; Seeking conserves energy.

Spiritual seeker should conserve all his energy, And consume it all in single point of synergy.

He should use all the faculties of his or her perception, With synchronicity towards the goal of Self-Realization.

Being silent, he listens to the Sound of Silence.

Being quiet, he talks with Divine Consciousness.

With eyes closed, he embraces the entire Universe.

This is the inexplicable power of spiritual practice.

The seeker should not crave for speaking; Speaking is quite opposite of seeking.

We are the masters of the words that we hold; We are the slaves of the words that we told.

A seeker speaks only when it is appropriate; A seeker talks minimally, only up to the point.

From every conversation, the seeker evolves; It is a spiritual lesson that he tries to absorb.

A seeker takes the opportunity in every interaction, Using it as a stepping-stone on his spiritual expedition.

A seeker climbs higher by the energy of observation; Speaking less he maintains his energy conservation.

A blade of grass can become his silent teacher; A wave of breeze can make him a silent learner.

He tries to find spiritual books in running brooks; He tries to read sermons in wasted stone blocks.

For a seeker silence is a great communication tool; As a good listener, he will reach his Realization goal.

Speaking is less important to a serious seeker; Precision in speaking is more important to a seeker.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

22) Spiritual Journey Spiritual practice is a continuous journey; Divinity is the destination of that journey.

Some go slow, some move fast. It doesn't matter: All of us finally will reach the Divine Master.

The body is the vehicle in which we sit to travel; Mind is the driver, handling the steering wheel.

Intellect is our GPS guide showing the correct route; Not listening to the intellect, our mind takes the wrong route.

Divinity is the power of a vehicle’s full potential.

It’s the driver that should properly use the car’s pedal.

If colorful sign boards by the roadside are distracting him, The power of the car will drive him into a ditch, hurting him.

We are all equipped with Divine power, like the car; But the mind-driver misuses that power in a wrong manner.

Your GPS guide, though he warns you how to correct it, The ignorant-minded ignore the messages of intellect.

Sometimes mind takes you far along the wrong route, Even the intellect finds it difficult to get back on the right route.

The only way to find main route, is to correct our mistake, Driving back the wrong route, until we find the main route Mistakes happen; and disappointments are common.

These shouldn't make us forgo the goal-reaching Divine.

A child falls many times before learning to walk; The child mumbles many a time before learning to talk.

It may take a bit longer to reach the Lord.

Some hurdles may even make the path hard.

While removing those hurdles, be patient, and see; The Lord laid them out to test the patience of you and me.

You may arrive a bit late in the race, But you are the one who wins His grace.

Slow and steady wins the race; You are the one whom He will finally embrace.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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23) Caring and Sharing Caring comes out of love.

Sharing shows how to give.

Both of these make us kind, If we keep them both in mind.

Caring teaches compassion.

Sharing gives satisfaction.

Let's practice both wherever we are.

As priceless values, both they are.

Mother cared for us after we were born.

She shared her blood before we were born.

We are the result of her caring and sharing.

So, it is our duty to give unto others by sharing.

We are under God's care as His children.

We are all sharing His Creation.

Sharing and caring should become our breath.

Surely, they become our protective sheath.

The feeling of caring springs from our hearts; Sharing and giving transforms our heart into acts.

It shakes up our Consciousness that is dormant.

It wakes up our Blissfulness and makes it dominant.

When caring and sharing become part of our lives, They bring in spiritual beauty in path of our lives.

Life with caring and sharing makes life meaningful.

Caring and sharing make our life purposeful.

We would have not been here, without the care of our mother.

We will not survive in future, without the sharing of nature.

Caring and sharing are fundamental principles of love.

By practicing both we get the most out of our life.

Caring and sharing are two wheels of our life-cart.

Love is the axle, by which these wheels to rotate.

Intellect is lubricant; mind is the driver; God is the power.

Driving our life-cart, like this, takes us to the blissful shore.

These thoughts came into my mind last weekend, When organizing a fund-raising event for disabled children.

That caring and sharing attempt gave me immense satisfaction.

Spirituality and charity go hand-in-hand with Self-Realization.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

24) Purpose of Life is to be Happy The purpose of life is to be happy always.

Eternal happiness’s other name is “Bliss.”

This is not just a Vedic statement; Evolutionary science has proven this fact.

Life, that initially started in water, In pursuit of its happiness, came to the shore: Fish became frogs; frogs became lizards; Lizards weren't happy crawling and became birds.

Birds, after reaching the top of the world, Not really happy there, came back to the ground.

Birds evolved into humans, with an improved mind, Started using the mind to find happiness around.

Now we are running after things, places and people, To find happiness in them, though it is not eternal.

Whatever makes us happy eventually is leaving; When it leaves, without our happiness, we start grieving.

Human mind has been looking for eternal happiness, We can't seem to find it in these transient things and beings.

All people who have been looking for happiness outwards, Have determined that there’s no real happiness in the world.

Using the mind, the “Law of Exclusion” he applied: If it is not there, outside, it must be inside.

Such people turned their search inside to find happiness Inside of them; there they found the treasures of happiness.

Few great gurus attain, and sit on,a mountain of bliss Most of us run around the mountain without reaching this.

The guru calls to people, “Listen, I’ve found happiness!”

People, busy running, have no time to listen to His voice.

We all know the goal and purpose of life; Everyone agrees that happiness is goal of life.

But we are looking for it at the wrong address; By taking a wrong path, we are going away from Bliss.

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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25) Apologies Create a Win-Win Situation in Friendship Apology is the Cure for Lacerations in Relationships This morning, I said, “I’m sorry,” to a friend, As I learned, that he was hurt by something I said.

Maintaining relationship is an art; Managing it is easy, if we have spiritual heart.

Misunderstandings are common among friends.

Relationships strain due to misinterpretation of words.

The same sentence that is spoken to two different friends, May be understood differently by the mindset of their minds.

When ego comes to play its role between friends, It creates a distance that pulls them to opposite ends.

By the words, “Sorry,” or, “Pardon me,”a hug, and a handshake, The barrier that just started to build will brake.

Even if others misunderstand, be neutral to them; Don't try to give explanations, or to convince them; Your explanations may cause more ego problems.

The other person may never agree with your themes.

When certain ways of communication hurt them, Then try a different way to communicate with them.

Bending the pipe is more important than breaking it; Building a relationship is more important than losing it Plasticity becomes more plastic by “reactive” attempts.

Plasticity changes to flexibility by “proactive” attempts.

Sometimes even saying, “Sorry,” may not make other person cool; He sees “sorry” as weakness and uses it as a blaming tool.

Our action shouldn't depend upon another's action.

Such dependent action is called as reaction.

Try to love, though the other person says, "You are at fault."

Remember, flowers give more fragrance the more that we squeeze it out.

Apologies in relationship teach us many spiritual values: Love, tolerance, forgiveness,and patience are its hidden pearls.

Apologies make us humble, and make life simple.

Apologies may make us small but widen our Souls.

By saying “I’m sorry,” we make the other person a winner.

Apologies, by decreasing our ego, make us winners.

Apologies can create a winning situation in relationship; Apologies can become a cure to laceration in friendship.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

26) The Meaning of Life Why We should Understand Life’s Purpose According to great ancient Rishis.

The Universal definition of our life is: “Life is the sum total of experiences, Gained by contact of objects and circumstances.”

Life carrying these challenges and circumstances, Walks towards us asking us to face these.

Living through them and in reacting to those, We gain experiences; that is what life is!

"The total of experiences, thus gained, is life" So the unit of life is an experience.

Let us analyze what an experience is; Let us find out what experience has.

Three are required to produce experience: There should be someone called experiencer; There should be something to be experienced; The relationship between two is experiencing.

The experiencer is our mind, the subject of experience.

World is experienced, the object of experience.

Experience is the result felt by the subject, By his or her interaction with world of objects.

Let us further analyze experience: An object, which is source of experience, Doesn't give everyone the same experience: The same object, gives different experiences.

The death of family member gives one experience.

The death of neighbor gives a different experience.

Death is the same, but not the experience of it.

One’s relationship determines the quality of the experience.

Mind gets joy out of experiencing an object.

It is nature of that object to be impermanent.

When the object changes, the experience of it changes.

We get tired of all these changing changes.

So, the solution is to enjoy change, Because change does never change.

The experience of the changelessness of change, Is the experience of Consciousness that doesn't change.

Such an experience of Pure Consciousness is called Bliss.

All of our spiritual journeying is only to experience this!

Of Anil. S. Prasad

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27) There are Only Two: “I” and “It” This is the Whole of Creation: That’s It In the world, there is only two: “I”and“It.” This is all the whole world is about.

Running between these two becomes our life; Removing the distance between these two is the purpose of life.

“I” constitutes our ego, and the world is “It.” The “I” in us is always running after “It.” “I” always wants to conquer “It.” “I” runs around, thinking, “I can't reach It.” Between the “I” and “It” there is always a distance.

But “I” is always on the run to close that distance.

But that distance keeps on increasing.

Until, finally, the “I” gets tired of chasing.

When tired, if the mind would turn inside to the “I.” Inside, the ego - “I” “It” would find the “Divine-I.” “It,” the world, is found hidden inside one’s “I”-ness.

To see “It” the “I” must quit the ego sense of I-ness.

Disappearance of the ego “I”, Results in appearance of the “Divine-I.” Then the “I” opens to the real eye of the “I”.

Then the “I” can see itself inside the “I”.

Then the “I” can see that the ego “I” can't envision.

Then the “I”can listen that the ego “I” can't listen.

Then the “I” can taste that the ego “I”can't taste.

Then the “I” can feel that the ego “I” can't smell or touch.

Then Divine “I” listens the Sound of Silence.

Then Divine “I” sees the Light of Darkness.

Then Divine “I” feels the pleasure of pain.

Then there is nothing more to gain.

Then the whole world manifests as that “I”.

Then the distance collapses between the world and “I”.

Then the “I” experiences the profound sense,“I AM THAT!” This is the way for the “I” to reach “It.”

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28) Pursue the Purpose of Life, Instead of the Purse Let us not live just because we were born.

There is a purpose behind birth of everyone.

Let us pursue the purpose of our life.

A purposeless life is like a rudderless ship.

Purpose of life is not to make your purse full.

Purpose of life is to be ever joyful.

Even though source of joy is inside us, People look for it inside the purse.

The purse may buy big pieces in the market.

But the purse can't bring peace into our heart The purse may bring many people closer, But when the purse is empty they go away farther.

Earning in life should be only a part of life.

Yearning for wisdom should be the art of life.

Earnings only make us spend to buy things.

Yearning helps us to mend and to be better beings.

Our need of the purse is only limited; It can go only so far as the graveyard.

Let us pursue reaching the Unlimited; It can come with us beyond the burial ground.

The purse can buy an expensive mattress; Yes, that same purse can also make us sleepless.

For getting a good sleep, we don't need our purse in hand; To get a sound sleep we need our peace of mind.

Peace of mind should be the goal of our life; The Lord’s grace is needed to get peace in life.

Searching for external pleasures keeps peace away; Researching internal treasures brings the peace our way We are embodiments of that eternal blissful Consciousness.

We have created an external veil around that Consciousness.

The purpose of life is to remove the curtain of Ignorance; Then eternal, blissful Consciousness shines with Radiance.

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29) Detachment is not Just Keeping Things at a Distance A hand should be empty in order to shake another hand.

A pot shouldn't be dirty in which you cook your food.

Land should be cleared in order to sow seeds.

The mind should be cleaned in order to see God. If we want God to start giving to us, God wants us, in turn, to start giving up.

If we go to Him with hands empty, He can fill our hands with plenty.

The more we give up the more He gives us; The more He gives, the more we come close to Him. If we are ready to give up everything, God will be ready to give us everything.

No doubt detachment is hard for practicing; It should start,first,with only small things: TVs, movies, clothes and gossiping, Should become grounds for starting.

Detachment isn't just keeping things distant.

Understanding the truth behind this is important.

If you can convince yourself that you are detached, You will still be detached, even if you are attached.

Detachment is not going to the forest.

It is easy to live a detached life in the forest.

Leaving world for detachment make us escapists; Living in world with a detached mindset makes us spiritualists.

Detachment should not be practiced by force; It comes by itself if we understand our Source.

We came into the world with nothing of our own; Nothing can we take with us, when we are gone.

We can enjoy that which is given by God, Having the attitude that it’s a gift from God. Detachment is easy when we have this attitude.

A detached mind can elevate us to a Divine altitude.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

30) A Change May Initially Appear to be Difficult The Change you Make May Become a Habit - if it is of Special Interest I used to wake up at five in the morning, To complete my “thought of the day”in writing.

Recently Swami-ji started daily a Gita teaching, With a class that starts early, at five in the morning.

We also have a daily two-hour class late in the evening.

That also delayed the routine of my nightly sleeping.

Now I have to wake up earlier in the morning, And I have to go to bed later in the evening.

This change in my routine first appeared to be very difficult, And it became a test to prove my spiritual interest.

I took an oath that I shouldn't miss even one class, And I have been fighting daily to take the test and pass.

I am passing the test, but failing to have a good sleep.

To solve it, after work, I started to take half-hour nap.

I cut down my TV watching time to go to bed early.

Now I am waking at four without having any difficulty.

My body is happy that I took care of its needs; My mind is happy that I took care of its interests.

My intellect is happy, that I could convince it, That watching television is not that important.

It is said, “Where there is a will there’s a way.”

One who has will power, will find his way.

Any change initially that appears very difficult, Becomes a habit, if we have the interest.

I am still writing my daily thought for the day.

I am still writing my commentary on Gita everyday.

I am attending Swamiji's class four-hours daily.

I am doing my daily spiritual practice routinely.

Professional duties, personal responsibilities, Contribution to Community, spiritual activities: One can act many roles, when one is established in the Soul; Being many by uniting with the One is my spiritual goal.

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31) Jealousy is the Secret Admiration of Others Jealousy is an Expression of Unfulfilled Desires Jealousy is the secret admiration of others.

Jealousy is the secret expression of unfulfilled desires.

Jealousy is the expression of hidden dissatisfaction.

Jealousy is the hindrance to healthy relations.

Jealousy is like a hard rocky mountain: Very difficult to break; it is like iron.

If we carefully analyze jealousy, Jealousy is a feeling of inadequacy.

We love something, and we don't get it, Jealousy results, when others have it.

“Love for only ourselves,” is the culprit here.

That kind of love can't stop jealousy ever.

Ignorance makes one’s love only personal; By knowledge we can make our love universal.

Personal love is like a drop of love; Universal love is like flood of love.

Universal love is loving everybody; In that, there is no place for jealousy.

The flood of Universal love washes it all away, Should there be any remnants of jealousy.

Jealousy germinates from the seed of the ego; We remain unaware of it until we see it grow.

Unattended jealousy becomes a slow poison; Once it fills the brain, it spreads through the whole person.

The thought of jealousy induces intolerance; Intolerance, as it grows, modifies as indifference.

Indifference creates distance among persons; Distance breaks bond of love between humans.

Love is replaced by hatred, when jealousy sets in: Bug of hatred eats away our happiness within.

This way, feeling of jealousy about other persons; Bounces back making us unhappy persons.

So the jealousy is like a cancer that kills our intellect We need to be very cautious when we get a jealous thought.

We need to weed it out when it is in the seedling stage, Otherwise it eats away our intellect, becoming huge.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

32) Thoughts about Thought Thoughts are the expressions of consciousness, Just like waves are expressions of ocean waters.

Some thoughts rise and fall,just as waves rise and fall.

Some thoughts become actions, just as some waves travel.

Thoughts create something through our action; So thoughts are basis for our entire creation.

Every result of an action is the product of a thought; So the thought is the seed of action and its product.

There is a stage called “thoughtlessness,�

That can be compared with Absolute Consciousness.

In meditation we abide in that deep consciousness.

Consciousness is the seed of all our thought processes.

So thought is an essential element of creation; So thought is also component of every action.

Thought leads to word; word leads to action; Action is the axle for the sustenance of creation.

We are all products of the love-thought of our parents.

Their thoughts only let us grow and turn into adults.

Without thought world comes to a stagnation point; For progression of creation thought is an essential unit.

Let's imagine, what happens, if no one thinks: The world comes to standstill and creation shrinks.

For the world to run thought is the fuel; Thought is essential as our survival tool.

Thought is the origin of great achievement.

Thought is the origin of future punishment.

Every thought that is thought has an effect; Thoughts rarely go into a waste basket.

Whatever we are in the current moment, It is the result of our past thoughts.

Whatever we would wish to be on a future date, We create its origin in our current thought.

We are the architects of our fate; Our fate depends on our thought.

Good thought creates a good effect; Watching our thoughts is very important.

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33) Giving Always Gives Back Flowers flourish by blooming.

River cherish by flowing.

The Sun nourishes us by glowing.

The nature of Nature is giving.

Blooming flower, flowing river, Feeding mother, loving father; All of them have one thing in common: They all give joy and comfort to another.

Nature can be our great spiritual teacher, If we change our nature as a careful observer: Giving gives the giver the gift of joy after giving; That joy is missed if giving has the intent of receiving.

It is the law, that giving is not a wasteful act; Giving gives back, with compound interest.

Instantaneous inward joy is only principle of it.

Enormous reward will come indirectly from it.

Expecting return from your giving, makes giving a business.

Explaining in the Gita, the Lord says, such giving is tamas (darkness).

Giving like a Sun, flower, river, father and mother, Gives the peace, bliss, and grace from the Divine Order.

When A gives to B, A may not get back from B; B may give to C; and C may give it to D; and D to E; E may not give to D; but, instead, he may give it to A. Though it may be delayed, it will surely come back to A. If A receives back from B, it has no greatness; When A gets it from E, it creates thankfulness; That thankfulness in person, enlightens the awareness; This way, chain of giving brightens the Consciousness.

Ignorance is gone, when Consciousness is shining.

Innocence sets in and purifies the process of giving.

Then every giving becomes the offering to the Divine.

The joy that comes from it becomes a gift from the Divine.

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34) Faith is the Door Surrender is the Key to Opening and Entering the Divine Theatre Our goal is right there; let’s go for it!

By just talking we may not reach it.

Thought and word should be turned in to action; Action is that which leads us to our destination.

Let us do whatever we do with utmost devotion.

Let’s remove all the personal emotion from action, Let us try to find happiness while doing the work itself.

Let us believe in Vedic saying, "Work is worship."

Let's make every action as an offering to the Divine; Let's make the outcome as gift from the Divine.

The outcome may be what we want, or maybe not; Let us not lose the faith even if it is not.

Let thought, word and deed become one; May the fruits of our actions come from the Divine.

Expect the best, prepare for the worst; And take whatever comes as a divine present.

Don't ask God to give this and that to us; Let us ask Him to give what is actually best for us.

Trust Him; He knows what is the best thing for us; He knows us better than what we know about us.

Faith faces the locked door of the divine theatre.

Surrender is the key to open it and enter.

Once doors of faith is opened with our surrender key, God Himself comes the door to receive thee.

Holding our hands He shows world through His Eyes; The world appears differently than what everyone sees.

Lots of love is seen floating around in the world; The hearts of everyone is being filled with the Lord.

Then we stop looking for the Lord only at the alter; The world becomes His stage; He becomes the key player.

We see ourselves as actors acting under His direction; Pleasures and pains become only part of our action.

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35) Life Without Desire is Impossible Seeing Desires as Spiritual Hurdles Living life without desire is not possible; To lead a spiritual life, desire is not harmful.

Living a spiritual life with desires is possible; If we understand the limitations of desires in full.

“Desiring to not to have desire, itself, is a desire.”

Mumukshutvam, to have moksha, itself is a desire.

The seeking of a seeker is nothing but seeking with desire; As long as we have body, mind complex we have a desire.

So, desire does not hinder our spiritual growth; Attachment to desire is that which prevents our growth.

Having desire doesn't make us spiritually fall; Desire without dharmic content, only makes us fail.

Desire that doesn't harm us in long run; Desire that does not harm another person; Desire for our needs without having greed; All these help us grow spiritually with steady speed.

When desire evolves beyond the individual “I,” Then by the Universal “I” the desire is sanctified.

Then desire becomes transformed into prayer; That very desire can help us as a spiritual ladder.

Whenever a desire arises inside of our mind, If we look into a mirror, and see our reflected face, And if we enter into intellectual conversation with it, Our desire becomes purified with intellectual and spiritual grace.

Desires may arise, stay, and may fall back as waves of failures; Let's be like the deep ocean unaffected by these waves of desires.

Let the desires come and go without taking over your mind; Let the mind be a spectator of desire and its every deed.

Dealing with desires in this way will make us happy beings; Desires, failing in their fulfillment, do not cause any sufferings.

Then desires are no longer the cause of human misery; Desires can be our teachers and change our spiritual destiny.

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36) “Die� before Your ActualDeath, and Discover Deathlessness The shedding of the body experience is called death; We experience this daily in bed in deep sleep.

The body-mind-intellect complex die in sleep; Consciousness without awareness only we keep.

Sleep is the great gift given by God to humankind, To understand death with our limited mind.

In sleep we die everyday and take birth again the next day, But we agree that we continue to live during both night and day.

If we understand sleep like this during the night, We would understand everything about the death concept.

We die every day, and during sleep in the night; Like this we die many times before actual death.

We live in consciousness during our daily sleep; We live in same consciousness after our last sleep.

Sleep is considered to be the temporary death of our body.

Death is considered to be the permanent sleep of our body.

But, there is minor difference between sleep and death: After sleep, into our own body, we return back; After death of this body, a different body we take.

Memory of our old body, after death, does not come back.

It is only embodiment that changes over and over; It is the Consciousness that does not change ever.

Understanding this concept of sleep as daily death, We would digest the concept that we never die ever.

Our body is only hardware with a functional limit; Mind and intellect is the software to make it work.

Consciousness is the power supply, to give energy; Hard and software may break, but not the power supply.

Like this if we can experience death before we die, We would discover that we never die; Once we discover this truth, then death becomes a lie, As in Consciousness we live eternally under the sky.

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37) Let Us Search: There is Peace in Pause Let's Research: There is Sound in Silence Between two heartbeats there is a pause; Between two breaths there is a pause; Between nerve-endings there is gap called synapse; Between two AUMS there is a pause of silence.

Silence appears as state of actionlessness; Silence appears as the sign of inactiveness; Silence appears as an expression of laziness; The truth is, silence is very productive process.

During the pause, before the next round, the heart and lungs conserve energy; In synaptic gap between nerve-endings there is relay activity.

AUM has four sounds; the pause is the fourth sound energy; That means the pause is an activity in the womb of inactivity.

A pause is a moment of silence in the midst of activity; During that event of silence, still there is activity.

Silence has a lot of significance in spirituality; Silence is the source of spiritual productivity.

Moments of silence aren't events of soundlessness; Events of silence can be the experiences of sound-ness.

And such experiences have spiritual profoundness: Such profoundness can give us a sense of Consciousness.

Search, we will find peace in every pause; Research, we will end up in the Sound of Silence.

The sound of silence can be found in meditation; The experience of the sound of silence is internalization.

Internalization takes us inside the cave of our heart, Introduces the Holy seat, where Spirit does sit.

When we take that seat along with the Holy Spirit, We would experience the profoundness of the seat.

When we experience peace being in that place, The whole of life becomes a meditative process.

The process of Self-Realization opens its doors; The experience of the eternal, blissful Consciousness becomes ours.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

38) Time is Money, when it Comes to Parenting The Greater Reward is in Spending More Time Youngsters are the builders of future society; The young generation is the foundation of any country.

Youth are filled and full of creative energy; It can yield the best results if applied in synergy.

Exploration of new things is natural to youth; Experimenting with bad is also normal in their path; Excessive energy in them can make them into Gandhis.

Exercising energy in the wrong way can make them Godse(s).

Confrontation with them will take us nowhere; Argumentation cannot and will not win them over.

Listening to them patiently can bring them closer to us; Discussing as friends can make them think of us.

We should not decide what they should be in their future; We can help them decide whether to become a doctor or an actor.

If we try to think in tandem with our youth, We become friends and slowly help them shape their path.

Positive and negative reinforcement, Plays very well in youngsters’ treatment.

Give a reward when they are polite and courteous; Let them enjoy the benefit of being courteous.

Spending more time with them is very important; Spending more money on them may not benefit.

Forget that we are elders, and let us be their friends; Youth like friends more than parents who find their faults.

To deal with youth we should be patient; Let’s give up saying,”I tried my best.”

Let’s keep hitting the iron while it’s hot; Let's not worry about heat; iron will bend.

Time is money, when it comes to parenting; The more we spend on it, the more it is rewarding.

Money may buy many, but it can’t purchase love; Quality time with kids can teach them how to live.

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39) Soul Witness Our eyes can show us the whole world, But they cannot show our own head.

We don't know how we look without a mirror; And our image depends upon the qualities of the mirror.

When, we try to make our image look better, Applying makeup while we look in the mirror If it is the makeup that makes us look better, What is the value of the face that is under cover?

Many of us try to improve our image in the world, By projecting out what we are not deep inside.

An image in society is only a reflection in a mirror; If we get lost in it, we will never see our real picture.

When we can draw our own picture from the heart, We know what corrections are needed in it.

We may use reams of paper to capture our real picture, Yet, it’s more worthy than the image from society’s mirror.

If our image is not what we thought it to be, This means that our image is other than what we see.

Projecting ourselves differently from what we really are, Makes our life become more and more impure.

We can witness our own thoughts; For that we do not need eyesight.

We can peer into the cave of our own heart; For that we do not need any torchlight.

Our image in society can become very dangerous; It means that a lot of responsibility resides inside us.

If we don't hold on to it and discipline ourselves, We end up being fakes and cheating ourselves.

We have a divine camera built into everyone of us; We call it the “Atma Sakshi,”or our“Soul Witness.”

This image is more useful than any image in society; It allows us to introspect and gives us more clarity.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

40) Fear is the Favorite Food of Failure How to Handle both Fear and Failure To be patient is very very hard, But at the end it gives us a reward.

Trust God, who knows when to grant it.

Let's remind our mind always to be patient.

When it is dark, let us patiently wait; Dawn will open the door and give us light.

When we enjoy that divine light, We’ll forget all about our long wait.

Haste may make waste of all our effort; We may miss our chance to obtain the result.

They say, “There’s many a slip between the lip and the cup;” Patience, at each step, may help us to have the sip.

During our wait, hours may look like years; Waiting for the result may create fears.

In our mind, fear of failure causes tremors; We experience failure even before it occurs.

Fear is the favorite food for the failure; The chance for failure grows fast in fear’s presence.

Feeding on fear, failure appears as monster; Only our fear creates this monster of failure.

Monster of failure can break our hearts; This monster can be tackled only by intellect.

Applying our intellect can make us more patient; Otherwise, the monster’s presence will make us a patient.

Failure, when analyzed, with our emotions, Can increase our ego and may cause depression.

Failure, when analyzed, with intellectualization, Can sublimate our ego and may lead to Realization.

Failure in relationship to the external world, Is only a thought that comes from in-ward.

A failure in world can be made inwardly a success, Witha proper understanding of the ephemeral world, we witness.

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41) The Difference Between Us and the Universe A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis One can be a star throwing brilliance all around; Even, one day a star has to fall to the ground.

Even the most costly diamond in the world, Once upon a time, was deep under the ground.

Life is a roller coaster ride that goes up and down; At some point, it may take one to a peak high above ground The next moment it brings one back close to the land; We have to get off of it when the ride is done.

One can expand in the world going very high; One can grow and glow up above the sky.

But when the time comes for one to die, There is no difference between us and a housefly.

When we compare, quantitatively, ourselves to a fly, Our body and mind are very large, compared to the housefly.

When we compare both in respect to Cosmic Intelligence, Between us, and the housefly, there is not that much difference.

That which gives life to both us and to the housefly, That’s the Consciousness that’s in both you and the housefly.

It’s one and the same with respect to quality; Though intellect and body-size differ in quantity.

When human existence is compared with entire Universe, We are less than an ultra-micro speck of this entire cosmos.

But when we think of ourselves in respect to Consciousness, Between our consciousness and the universal Consciousness we find no difference.

Quantitative comparison makes us feel like almost nothing, It helps us reduce our ego, and makes us better beings.

Qualitative comparison makes us feel that we are everything; It makes us shine and glow as a spiritual human being.

Quantitate comparison excludes us from the Universe; Qualitative comparison includes us in the Universe.

The goal of spiritual life is to find unity in diversity; But it’s possible only when we increase our “inclusion capacity.”

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42) The Expression of Gratitude The Expectation of Gratitude Gratitude is a great spiritual tool, That can bring the seeker up to the next level.

Gratitude is like an escalator: It can take us to levels both lower or higher.

When gratitude is expressed, Our heart becomes cleansed.

Our ego transforms with humbleness, And outpours as gratefulness.

When gratitude is expected, Our heart becomes stressed.

Service becomes an investment; Gratitude becomes the profit received from it.

The cause of misery in world is expectation; Failure of expectation leads to depression.

The expectation of gratitude is not an exception; It takes the beauty out of any helping action.

Service with an attitude,and the expectation of gratitude, Places a person in a lower level of spiritual altitude.

Service with attitude of self-satisfaction deep inside, Keeps a person in the middle level of spiritual altitude.

Selfless Service with an attitude of serving the Divinity, Expressing gratitude for serving as an opportunity, Taking one very close to the process of Self-Awareness.

Not others’ gratitude, but a helping attitude grants him instant happiness.

Craving for gratitude makes us play a waiting game; Giving with gratitude makes us play a winning game If we wait for gratitude, winning becomes conditional; If we act with gratitude, winning becomes unconditional.

What we give to others is really God-given; In giving, we are only becoming God's hand.

It is God that gives, using us as a middle person; We should be grateful to God when we help any person.

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43) Wealth is not Our Possessions Wealth is in Enriched Thought As people become richer and richer, There will be an increase in their buying power.

It also increases their giving power: But that’s the part that most of the rich ignore.

As people become rich and richer, They try to become more and more popular.

Popularity, they think, makes them richer; A great example of this is the movie star.

When the richness is shown in outer life, And when it is not sown in our inner life, It makes our worldly life seem very glamorous, Though it makes our inner life very torturous.

Ego always couples with wealth and riches When this is not recognized, life becomes very dangerous.

The feeling of richness becomes a kind of sickness; Trying to be special becomes a kind of madness.

Richness without ego brings on real enrichment; Egoless enrichment leads to life's fulfillment.

As ego gets emptied, life fills with enlightenment; Richness with ego keeps us in a lower compartment.

Real wealth is not found inside what we’ve got; Actual wealth is found inside enriched thought.

Many rich people may have plenty; Still they may feel, inside, very empty.

Wealth and money is a double-edged sword, This richness may make us ghost or a God. Some, with wealth, when they reach a comfort level, Use their resources to reach a spiritual level.

Some, with wealth, try to increase their comforts, But one level of comfort doesn’t give real comfort.

They look for more and more comforts in their life; They burn their midnight oil to gain the comforts of life.

Many rich people may have plenty; Still, inside, they may feel very empty.

Real richness is not found inside what we’ve got, Actual richness is found inside enriched thought.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

44) Childhood, Youth, Adult, and Old Age Finding a Message at Each Stage Mother's womb is a divine palace.

Birth brings us to this new place.

Though a newborn separates from Divinity, The new babe still has Divine connectivity.

When we see infants smiling on their own, This is a sign of their Divine connection.

Though their wants cannot be expressed verbally; Still their needs are taken care of loveingly As the infant attains childhood, And their distance increases from the Godhead.

The ego takes its birth during these years; Still the Self shines its dominance.

The child gradually becomes a youngster, When the ego grows stronger and stronger.

The intellect, then, is at the weakest point; Free will also wants to fulfill all of its wants.

Youngsters then slowly mature into adults; And their intellect also grows, realizing past faults; Then one may choose to become a teacher to youth, And turn to a spiritual path, and seeks Divine Truth.

As adults grow and become old, Life takes a U-turn towards childhood.

Old age, like another infancy stage, The body curls up in bed like a bones in a cage.

The body goes to its grave or to get burnt; The Soul leaves and quits its embodiment.

The Soul then reenters another mother's womb, And the circle continues until Soul needs no womb.

Until the desires fail to exist deep in our minds, Until memories of our past don’t persist and rewind, The body’s born to restart life in a bed.

Every body, eventually, goes to rest in a graveyard

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45) The Link Between Efforts and Results Is it Possible to Disconnect the Two? Life is a journey between effort and the result; Life is a journey between desire and its fulfillment; As the distance between these two will increase; Our desires don’t decrease, so, our life-times increase.

Desire-motivated actions tend to stretch our lives; As they are stretched, stress is created in lives.

When effort is coupled with stress it gets diluted; A diluted effort can only give a diluted result at the end Diluted result can give only a trace of happiness; Desire-based action is restarted for more happiness.

This cycle between desire motivated effort and result, Makes the opportunity for real happiness like an oasis in a desert.

The distance between our effort and the result, Is the same as distance between the mind and the heart.

If the mind is satisfied with the effort, the distance is the shortest; If mind is satisfied only with the result, distance is the longest.

Result is not in our control, but the effort is our own.

We make an effort, but the result is a gift to us.

Our effort is known, but the results are unknown.

Effort for a particular result makes a stressful person.

When the effort is performed without concern for results, Then effort itself can become a blissful event.

When the distance decreases between the mind and the heart, It means the mind is finding its way to enter the heart.

I found it possible, to make effort without concern for results; I don't expect a particular result when I sit morning to write.

When thoughts arise in mind, my hand writes it on the paper; There is no expectation for results in this effort, whatsoever.

These are my best and most blissful moments of my day; I go to the verge of spiritual ecstasy at that time of the day.

By increasing the duration of such moments in life, One can certainly attain the fulfillment of life.

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46) The Past Is Gone, the Future is not yet Born The Present is Waiting for Us out Front as a Boon While living in present, we often think of the future or past; Yet, the only moment that we can “live� is in the current moment.

We can't live in the future; we can't live in the past.

If we fail to live in the present, our whole life is a waste.

The past lives in the present in the form of memory and thought; The future appears in present as an imaginary thought; The present lives as it’s presented at the current moment; Nothing has actual existence except the present moment.

We live most of our life either in the future or the past; The very least part of our life we lead living in present.

Living in future or past is living in fantasy; Living in current moment is the only reality.

Living in the current moment is a spiritual art; This is what our great spiritual masters have taught; Knowledge of the art of living at the current moment, Is presented in the content of all our spiritual texts.

What is past was at one time the future; We were thinking about it all the time.

When the future became the present, We became ignorant of it at that moment.

By the time we come to realize, it becomes the past; We hold on to these memories of the past.

Our memories of past become the wishes for our future; We start waiting for wishes to become true in the future.

Living in the past and future, which really don't exist, We skip life in present, which really does exist.

We fail to live with what we have in our hands; We try to live with what is out of our hands.

The past is gone; the future is not yet born; Only the present is waiting for us as a boon.

While the past is buried in a tomb;the future is laid, still in Time's womb; The present is the only step that you have at this moment to climb.

Let's live in the present to reach the Divine; If lived right, we ourselves can become Divine.

The divine gift given to human is the present That is why, the present is called a present!

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47) Peace and Violence Let's Consider their Difference Peace unites; violence divides.

Peace tolerates; violence separates.

Peace constructs,and violence destructs; Peace makes,and violence breaks.

Peace gives bliss; violence causes a mess.

Peace offers a solution; violence creates confrontation.

Peace makes us kind; violence turns us blind.

Peace involves mind; violence involves our hands.

The intellect switches on when in peace, And is switched off during violence.

In peace you find your Self; In violence you lose your self.

Peace frees; violence freezes.

Peace is sattvic; violence is tamasic.

Peace is proactive; violence is reactive.

Peace loves; violence hates.

Peace leads to handshakes; Violence invites handcuffs.

Peace pulls towards Divinity; Violence kills our humanity.

Peace is like the Divine entity; Violence has a demonic quality.

Peace makes us go inward; Violence makes us burst outward.

Peace includes; violence excludes.

Peace leads to rest; violence creates unrest.

Peace is a virtue; violence is vice.

Peace is inclusion; violence is division.

Peace conserves positive energy; Violence consumes negative energy.

Peace is creator of silence; Violence creates turbulence.

Peace and violence are like day and night; One can't stay while other one is present.

May our lives fill with peace by Divine Grace; Peace is the ultimate goal of the human race.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

48) When Love becomes Natural, Our Life becomes Beautiful When our heart is only filled with love and glow, Then only towards others, love, we can show.

When there is no water, a river can’t flow.

When a pot is full, then only can it overflow.

We say that a flower is so beautiful; But it is not the flower that is beautiful.

If anyone argues that the flower is beautiful, By all other people it should be thought to be beautiful.

In fact, it’s our Soul that is beautiful, Which superimposes its beauty on flower in full.

Then we make such a statement as, “This flower is beautiful.”

Even though the truth is that our Soul what is beautiful.

Love isn't something that can be filled from an external source; It’s a stream that springs from the inner Consciousness.

When we love a flower it is only a stimulus, That turns the switch on to allow love come from us.

Love is not something that can be shown by force; The pretense of love is like a make-up on an ugly face.

Real expression of love is like natural beauty; The pretense of love is an expression of artificiality.

Every artificial flower can be made to look the same; An actual flower, though both may look the same, The living flower’s fragrance can't be copied: The nectar of love should come only from the inside.

When the pure love is tainted with ego-ness, Then ego takes up the place of blissfulness.

Such bliss, less love, becomes artificial love; Artificial love can never become pure love.

Love when it is expressed in its purest of form, Gives joy that can't be expressed in word form.

The joy of love, experienced by the human being, Hints of the blissful experience gleaned from the Divine.

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49) Freedom is Not Doing What We Want to Do Freedom is to be Happy in Whatever We Do Happily, I woke up at five, today, morning time; Coffee said, “Come, have me, you are mine at this time."

Intellect said, “No, you have fasting and blood work today."

Without coffee, I started writing my spiritual thoughts of the day.

We want to have our life be a certain way; But our life turns out in a different way.

To live life “the way we want” is called bondage; To live life in any way is real freedom.

Habits in our life make it conditional; Our desires in life make it motivational.

Past experiences become our guides to the future, Caught between the claws of these, life undergoes torture.

Freedom is lost when habits dictate us; Freeness is lost when desires attract us.

Free will is gone, when past experiences guide us; With these three, our life becomes a slave of these.

Freedom is not “to do what we want to do;” Freedom is to be happy in whatever we do.

Freedom is not in doing things for happiness; Freedom is in doing the things we do with happiness.

As long as we make our life conditional, Liberation in life becomes impossible.

As long as, in life, desires play a major role, Freedom in life never becomes possible.

When happiness is not linked to anything, Then happiness becomes natural to a human being.

Past becomes a waste-card in the play of life; The present becomes the joker-card in the game of life.

Let us desire to be desire-less beings; Let us obtain that instead of habitual thinking.

Let not our habits take life away from us; Let us be free to find joy in life, as it is.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

50) Defining the Quality of Life How We Can Enjoy Quality in Life Quality of life doesn't depend upon car we drive; Quality of life is not in the kind of home in which we live; Quality of life is not in the bank balance we have; Quality of life is different from all of the above.

Quality of life is measured by peace in our life: Car, home, cash can bring only comforts in life.

Such things in life do not guarantee Peace; Independent of life’s comforts we find Peace.

When we're comfortable in absence of comforts; When loss of our comforts doesn't break our hearts; When we can separate from pain and from suffering: Only then, can we increase the quality of living.

As long as we try to find happiness in objects; As long as we don't try to find it in our hearts; The quantity of objects in our lives gradually increases, While the quality of our lives eventually decreases.

The quality in life can be increased with the expression of love; The quality of life can be enhanced with the ability to give.

In order to give to others we don't have to “have,” Without having anything, we still can give love.

The quality of life depends upon our expression; It doesn't depend upon an individual's possessions.

Quantity in life depends upon what we have, While the quality of life depends upon what we give.

When peace is found in people's hearts, When space between hearts disintegrates.

When we can connect with everything in nature, Then quality and clarity in life become crystal clear.

As quality in life increases, it increases purity; As purity in life increases, it increases clarity; As clarity in life increases, it experiences Divinity; When the Divinity is experienced, we live in Eternity.

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51) The Best Way to Live How to Get the Best Out of Life Our body is nothing but a peace of earth; That is where it finally reaches after our death.

When life enters we call it "our body."

When life leaves we call it a"dead body."

Life is the fundamental energy that makes us live; It’s the same Universal energy that makes the Universe move.

But a different definition of life we all give: "Our life is nothing but the way in which we all live."

Life isn't just living; it’s shared by every living being.

The life of a human being is more than just living; A human has been made the most advanced being, Given a special faculty for intellectual thinking.

Fish are given gills and use them to explore the ocean; Birds are given wings and use them to explore the horizon; Humans are given intellect, so that we can explore within; When we use it to its full extent, we touch the Divine.

Purpose of life is to live to its fullest extent; Purpose of life is to live the full dimension of it; Purpose of life is to enjoy every moment of it; With proper use of intellect one can experience it.

With pleasures and pains, life appears quite chaotic; With millions of thoughts, the mind is like busy traffic.

Desires and fear of failures make us neurotic; Uninterrupted bliss appears only theoretic.

Hurricanes appear furious on their periphery, Though they’re calm and quiet in the eye of it completely.

Many of us experience life only on its periphery; We need to enter its center to experience life comfortably.

Understanding of pleasure and pain make us ready; Organized thoughts make us properly steady.

Educating desires makes our fears disappear; The “eye” of the inner life and Self we begin to discover.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

52) Happiness is Not in External Things Understanding the Real Source of Happiness The human being in the current world, Is the most advanced in the animal world.

We’ve invented so-many gadgets, Trying to gain happiness inside our hearts.

But the happiness that we get from these, Is only transient; after a moment it ceases.

We are always looking for something more; This kind of search ends up exactly no-where.

The site of happiness is within us; The source of happiness is never outside of us.

Though we feel the emptiness inside of us, We try to fill it with things from external sources.

We don't appreciate the air that fills the glass; We say that the glass is nothing but emptiness.

In an attempt to bring the fullness into the glass, We pour liquid that come from an external source.

The liquids or solids that come from outside, Do not make the glass permanently full inside.

To make the glass permanently full inside, Is to realize that glass is already filled with air inside.

The air in the glass never “came” inside the glass; The air never “goes out,” even if the glass breaks.

It’s the glass, not the air, which comes and goes: When we understand this fact, our vision changes.

In the same way happiness is not to be found inside things; Real source of happiness is in gathering understanding.

Once we learn the techniques of this learning, Independent of external things, we become happy beings.

Chemicals in the human brain may cause depression; Chemical in medicine may make you happy person So chemistry is involved in happiness and Bliss; So,too, is happiness applied to Consciousness science.

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53) Let God be There: Why Should I Care?

“Let God be there; why should I care?

I only believe what I see and what I hear.”

This is a common statement by today’s youth; This is my attempt to show them the right path.

Let’s remember the day of our birth, When Mother brought us onto this Earth.

If she had said, “Why do I care? O my child,” Would we ever have been here in this world?

If we don't care about our birth giver, At least we should be thankful to her.

If we agree that God is the Creator, We should also be thankful to our Divine Father.

A pot cannot exist without pot maker; A building cannot exist without builder.

Creation cannot exist without a Creator; Devotion is the expression of gratitude to the Creator.

Thanks is a word that we use many times a day, For every small favor that comes our way.

When a small favor prompts us to say, “Thanks,” Doesn’t our Creator also deserve our thanks?

Enjoying a mother's love without attitude of gratitude, Is considered as an unpardonable sin, in the spirit-field.

Enjoying divine love without worshiping God, Is considered as ungrateful act; one should worship the Lord.

So, all of us should care about God, As we are being taken care of by the Lord.

Accepting a Divine gift without gratitude is a demonic quality; Enjoying the Divine gift with attitude of gratitude is a divine quality The expression of gratitude is the worship of God; The experience of Godhood is being one with God. Unlimited happiness that we have been chasing for ages, Undoubtedly will be ours by following the words of the sages.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

54) Life after Death: Myth or Truth?

Is there life after the death?

Is that life a belief or truth?

Is it possible for the dead to live?

If it were, how would they live?

The dead live in the world in form of memories, Depending upon their deeds while in their bodies.

Better, that they should serve the society while living; Longer, they live in our hearts, after dying.

It doesn't matter how long we live; All it matters is how good we live.

Adi Shankara died very young at thirty-some years; He still lives as the gift of his spiritual treasures.

Plants are useful after their fall; Animals are used after we kill.

The human body is useless after its death; We live in our deeds after our last breath.

There is no better being than a human being; Being human is the Divine blessing.

The purpose of life is to reach God; We will reach there by being good.

Our embodiments are ephemeral; Our divine acts make as eternal.

If we want to live after our death; We must live longer in people's hearts.

Flowers leave fragrance behind them; Fragrance tells us the flower's name.

Good deeds can tell us about a person; Those make us alive after we are gone.

Flowers leave fragrance behind them; Fragrance tells us the flower's name.

Our embodiments are ephemeral; Our divine acts can make as eternal.

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55) Life is a Huge Book Each Day God Opens a Page Allowing Us to Learn What is the use of studying medicine, If it is not practiced on a sick population?

What is purpose of becoming a soldier, If he doesn't fight for his country in the war?

Cheering, sitting in the stands, is very easy to do; Playing, being in the field, is a difficult thing to do.

Spectators in the stands know about play; Players in the field only know how to play.

Knowing is different from playing the game; Reading about life and living a life aren't the same.

Applying our learning makes us experienced earners; Making mistakes and corrections makes us experienced learners.

Spiritual literature shows us how to swim in the “world pool;” Just reading on and on, one cannot learn to swim at all.

We have to jump in the pool and follow the theory; Then only we will understand how to overcome difficulty.

It is said that it is easier said than done; We don't know its difficulty until it's done.

We can overcome difficulty, only when it's over; Goal of seeker is to feel both saying and doing.

Reading about leading life makes us only a reader; Leading life, after studying, makes us stronger.

Without hands-on experience any study is useless; Experience, itself, only leads us to the goal and success.

Life is a huge book and each day is a page; Life’s a book that cannot be read all at one stage.

God opens one page a day to be read by us; Each day is a learning phase meant to be lived by us.

Many of us turn pages over without reading the content; The final page of life’s book arrives, without reading it.

Even if we want to flip the pages back and read it again, The Book of Life is such, that it cannot be re-opened.

The Book of Life can be read only now, and that’s only once; To read it again, in this life, we don't get second chance.

Let us not turn the pages over, without fixing our gaze; Let's make use of each day and go on to the next spiritual phase.

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56) Thinking, Talking and Writing about God Culminates in Doing Good and Being God This is my experiment with Truth: I know, that I am not on a perfect path.

Still I try my best with utmost faith, Trusting that practice will make me perfect.

I wake up at around four o’clock in the morning, Thanking God for giving me another day of living.

I meditate on some good thought during early dawn; The Divine-given gift of thoughts flow out of my pen.

I express love and gratitude to my wife, Who wakes up, along with me, to help.

After my morning ritual at home I leave; During the day, I try to fill the day with love.

Whomever I come across during the daytime: Coworkers, patients, or strangers; I try to greet them With love, respect, kindness, and willingness to help; I don’t feel it very difficult to feel them as my “Self.”

Whenever any difficulty or conflict arises; I try to bring out the tools found in Gita verses.

I try to use them as God said, in any crisis; I try to learn the lesson when the outcome arises.

When I look at strangers, I try to connect with them; When I meet some in the elevator I try to push the buttons for them.

After briefly talking, I wait with respect,until they exit; If someone is struggling to find the way, I try to help out.

These are a few simple examples, things that don't need time or effort, But give us constant awareness of the Divinity in our heart.

They constantly fill our heart with the Divine treasure of comfort; To become spiritual stalwart, this is where we ought to start.

We may lose everything that we had in life; Still we have a huge hidden store of love.

The more we spend it, the more it generates: Love is the one thing that spiritually elevates.

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57) Silence is a Powerful Language for a Spiritual Person Patience is a Useful Tool in Winning Over an Angry Person The other day I received a phone call during the middle of busy day; I didn't pick up the phone, as I was busy with patients that day.

After becoming free, I returned the call, but there was no answer; I left message, to call back, and was called backed within an hour.

That person talked very loud on the phone; I tried to find time, in the middle, to explain.

The person continued to talk and didn't care to listen; Using my spiritual wisdom, I tried to act without reaction.

I told to the caller, mentioning, “You are feeling anger.

If we argue, our relationship may end up in danger.

Let’s stop arguing about the issue at this time; Please cool yourself down;we’ll talk some other time.”

Coolness on my side, made other person mad; That person was not getting what was wanted.

In middle of my talk, that person hung up the phone.

Using spiritual wisdom, I tried to maintain calm.

Later, I received a big email from the other person; It took long time to read and digest their concern.

I replied with my feelings about their behavior on phone; I answered, in writing, every concern of the other person.

The problem was solved; we again became good buddies; A continuation of that phone call could have made us enemies.

This is one application of my spiritual practice; Without practice, we are wasting our time on spiritual studies.

Silence is very powerful language for a spiritual person; Patience is very useful tool to win over an angry person.

Anger is a tidal wave that comes and disappears; We have to bow down lowly, and stay away until it disappears.

When the wave disappears the ocean becomes calm again; We can surf in ocean again; ultimately it is our gain.

If we confront a tidal wave with ego and pride, The tidal wave will engulf us, once we are inside.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

58) What is Not Inside Our Heart, Cannot be Found Outside our Heart What is not found inside the heart, Cannot be found outside of the heart.

What is not there inside our eyes, Cannot be found in front of our eyes.

When we see the world with our eyes, The image falls on the eye’s retina.

Whatever registers on our eye’s retina, That only do we see as the world before our eyes.

Pain and pleasure appear to have an external source; But the body is the real physical source of these.

The mind is the physiological source of pain or pleasure; Intellect is the modulator of pain and pleasure.

The body, with continuous stimulation, gets used to it; That is why we don't feel the sensation of wearing a shirt.

Prolonged pain or pleasure also lose their effect; Follows the “law of diminishing marginal utility”in all respects.

When we eat first candy, we find it very tasty; A child asks for a Band-Aid, after having a simple fall.

A tenth candy loses its value; it is no longer very tasty; When child gets used to falls, a simple fall is no longer painful.

Pain occurring between two pleasures teaches the pain of pain; Pleasure after pains teaches the value of pleasure gained.

When our mind oscillates between pleasures and pains, We reach acentral juncture where it fails to register in our brains.

Using intellect as bait, if we catch the mind’s midpoint, And keep the mind absorbed in the Soul at that central point, The mind won’t oscillate between pleasure and pain; It settles down, and remaining still, induces a spiritual gain.

For one who can remain between pleasure and pain; She or he is the one, who is close to Self-Realization It may be difficult, but it’s certainly not impossible Krishna says, "Practicing detachment makes it possible.”

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59) Our Inability to Increase Longevity Creates a Search for Inner Depth The life span of a human being is hundred-some years; It is not possible to stretch life's length any further.

But there’s another dimension to make life worthier; The value of life increases, as we increase life's depth.

In order to explore the depths, we have to be divers; Diver is the one, who searches for things under water.

A sea-diver is one who isn’t satisfied with things on surface; A spiritual person is one who dives inside to find the Source.

Most of us feel very full, externally,on the surface, Thought we feel empty and nil, internally, under the surface.

We are materially strong; but we are mentally weak: A spiritual workout makes our mind’s muscles thick.

Life is like a shell, which is hard only on surface: A little pressure on life makes the shell collapse.

To face the pains and pressures of life boldly, A strong inner core we must build, spiritually.

In order to build the strong inner core, We, first, have to dive inside to explore.

A diving exploration needs some special eyewear; An egoless “I-wear,” to see things just as they are.

Then we will able to see things very clearly; Seeing desire, greed, lust, ego, envy and anger very easily.

Then the inner vision will show us our inner nature; We are buildings built on a foundation that is weaker.

When our first step of exploration is over, Then the second step comes, one of repair.

Removal of the mud using the tool of our intellect, The cleansing process uncovers our shining inner Spirit.

Discovery of our inner Spirit increases life's depth; At that level of depth, life does not undergo death.

We may not be able to lengthen our physical life; But we will acquire the depth to overcome death in life.

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The 60 Spiritual Reflections

60) Practicing an Attitude of “Letting Go” Elevates us to a Divine Altitude A “letting go” attitude is our spiritual compass: Letting go directs us to a Divine address; Letting go is very important to aspirant; Letting go helps to attain spiritual fulfillment.

Letting go lets us learn detachment; Letting go makes us overcome attachment; Letting go helps our live our daily lives easily; Letting go allow us to spend our moments happily.

Letting go allows us to learn forbearance; Letting go helps us learn reverence; Letting go teaches us the acceptance; Letting go preaches to us regarding patience.

Letting go teaches us the forgiveness; Letting go eases us into humaneness; Letting go makes us very tolerant; Letting go also makes us very patient.

Letting go throws a spiritual light on us; Letting go takes away our mental weight from us; Letting go shows the Divine path to us; Letting go teaches the Ultimate Truth to us.

Letting go takes away fear from us; Letting go makes everyone dear to us; Letting go attitude lightens us; Letting go feeling enlightens us.

Letting go makes our life joyful; Letting go makes our life blissful; Letting go makes you a Divine tool; Letting go makes our heart feel lovable.

Letting go makes our ego go; Letting go makes us a Divine logo; Letting go is a spiritual attitude; Letting go elevates us to a Divine altitude.

Letting go is the “mantra” for salvation Letting go leads us to Self-Realization Letting go in the beginning of its practice may be imperfect Let’s not give up our “letting go”practice. “Practice makes it perfect!”

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Sambodh Society Ashram 6363 North 24th Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49004, USA

About The Author Name: Native Place: Parents: Wife: Family-Daughters: Son-in-law: Grandson:

Anil. S. Prasad Santanutala Padu, India Kotaiah, Adi Laxmi Kanaka Durga Adhineta, Saini Nanda Gopal Abhinay Krishna

Profession:

Medical Doctor

Residence: Spiritual Guru:

Kalamazoo, MI, USA Swami Bodhananda Saraswati

Facebook Pages:

1) My Spiritual Journey 2) Adhyatmika Vidya Prasadam 3) Anilaalaapanalu (n“ý²ý²bÍq\T) 4) Seva Prasadam

Books Written:

1) Gita Prasadam 2) The 60 Spiritual Reflections

Past Experience:

Principal Aditya Public School Ongole, AP, India

Present Positions:

1) Physician Battle Creek, MI, USA 2) Trustee & Vice President Sambodh Society Ashram, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

Future Ambitions: 1) Service To Divinity Through Service To Humanity 2) Studying And Spreading Advaita Vedantic Phlosophy 3) Contemplation And Self Realization