Month: May 2024

Most people don’t know a thing about dharma. Even if they do, they don’t understand it. Even if they do, they don’t live it.

So a natural question that occurs is that if others don’t follow dharma, then why should I?

Three key reasons:

1. It’s incorrect to conclude that others don’t follow dharma. We honestly have no clue what motivates others to do what they do.

2. There’s plenty of research now that shows that nice guys finish first, and not last. When we do good things, then people remember us for our generosity, empathy, integrity and righteousness – all great for long term success.

3. We must follow dharma for our own spiritual progress and spiritual peace.

Any others? Please share in the comments!

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In chapter 16 of the Gita, Krishna mentions “chintam pralayantam” to describe an asuric mindset.

Seems like he’s describing my mindset though!

What does it mean?

Nothing but endless worries. That the mind is constantly worried, leading to stress and anxiety.

We say that life being unpredictable is what leads to stress.

But it’s not unpredictability itself, but the fact that we allow the lack of certainty to impact our happiness.

As my Guru often says, living in uncertainty alone is spirituality.

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The nocebo effect. I swear it’s a thing. You think I’ve got it wrong? It should be placebo? Well yes, placebo effect, but did you know there’s a nocebo effect too? I’m not kidding, and even I found out just now!

What is it? Nothing much… Just the placebo effect, but in reverse.

If someone takes a pill that is a dummy, and is cured, that’s the power of positive thinking?

Likewise, if someone takes a dummy pill, but is scared of the side effects (having read about them somewhere), then and then ends up suffering the side effects… That’s nocebo!

Imagine then, the power of negative thoughts on us!

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Persimmons are super sweet on the inside. But the skin isn’t that easy to peel off.

In possibly the newest and most popular K-drama show of all time, Queen of Tears, one discussion on persimmons is food for thought.

Specifically, the fellow who just plucks some of the fruits, and then explains to another man, how this batch of fruit isn’t sweet at all.

But what is to be done?

Simple, just soak the fruit in bitter soju, which is an alcoholic beverage made from rice, and wrap it tightly in a cloth. Leave it overnight, and the fruit turns sweet!

Much like life itself, as the man notes. Life gives many bitter experiences, but if we soak ourselves in them and endure them, it’ll lead to success and sweetness eventually.

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We discussed the hedge fund genius Jim Simmons here yesterday.

You know how his fund became so profitable?

Because he was able to predict human nature.

He knew that whenever crises would strike, the same basic human instances would come to the fore – fear, greed and desire.

Is this rocket science? Does it sound predictable? Of course!

Jim was able to create sophisticated quant models and systems to extract alpha from such situations.

Interestingly, if we want to extract alpha from life, we can predict the same things too, in ourselves, and in others. And everything’s already predicted in our scriptures. We just need to read them!

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Jim Simmons, one of the greatest hedge fund investors of all time, passed away yesterday, at the age of 86.

He compounded returns for clients in his Renaissance Medalion fund at a ridiculous 66% per annum for over 30 years.

To compare, Mr Warren Buffet’s own returns compounded at somewhere between 20 and 25%.

What did Mr. Simmons say about his own life story?

"I did a lot of math. I made a lot of money, and I gave almost all of it away. That's the story of my life".

Isn’t that just an outstanding way to live? Work, earn and pass it on.

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Here’s a thought for today that I came across:

Life is not about having or achieving. It is about being and becoming!

Isn’t that just awesome?

Now how to live such an awesome life?

The first step would be to simply smile or laugh, and just enjoy the current moment.

We’ll realize that is actually not so simple to do! Because there’s so much other stuff that needs to get done, right?

Well, as a great man once said, smiling and laughter are not situations. They are decisions.

You know what we must decide to do now…

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Bookkeeping refers to maintaining one’s books of accounts.

But recently on social media, there’s a bunch of motivators and self(proclaimed)-help Gurus that does another type of bookkeeping. Which is keeping their books front and center for everyone to see and advocating reading books like there’s no tomorrow.

“I read a book a week”, says one. And a peer comments instantly, “I read two!”

“I’ve read 120 books this year!”, says another, while yet another claims to have read 2500 books in his lifetime. Phew.

It might seem like there’s no place for success in our lives unless we read 1000s of books.

If someone’s really read a 1000+ books, then they should have read about humility somewhere you’d think?

As my Guru always says, it doesn’t matter how many books you read, if you don’t implement anything from them to bring a positive change to the lives of those around us.

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Funny things happen around us all the time.

People love God, but they hate one another.

In the name of religion, people hate followers of other religions, but what about loving everyone? What about peace?

What really is holiness and piousness?

Are they linked to religion?

Absolutely not!

Being holy and pious is part of our innate nature. But the deluded think otherwise, and ruin their lives, and the lives of others around them.

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There’s a debate among spiritual seekers, especially on the tantric path, as to whether certain rituals, excessive as they may seem, are truly necessary.

The relatively straightforward ritual path, called dakshinachar is itself not easy to follow.

But the left hand, or vamachar, is ridiculously difficult (and also what catches most people’s imaginations).

One tantric expert explained it nicely.

The left hand is like taking an expressway. Tantric deities hence have swords in their hands, because they can cut off all attachment at once.

Whereas the right hand path is slower, but perhaps more suited to most. These deities may wield axes, symbolizing that the tree of attachment needs to be cut, but maybe one blow at a time.

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Here’s some super stuff from the legendary Osho, on money:

• Money is equated with power and is a common focus for most people.
• Even those considering spiritual or otherworldly pursuits view their virtues as a form of currency that can “purchase” a better status in the afterlife.
• Both worldly wealth and spiritual “wealth” are motivated by similar desires for security and a better position, either on earth or in heaven.
• Money serves as a future security; people accumulate it to feel secure about their future.
• The preoccupation with money only diminishes when one begins to live fully in the present, stepping away from concerns about the future.
• Ultimately, money, whether in literal or metaphorical terms, symbolizes power, and this underlying quest for power is pervasive across different realms of thought.

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What is enjoyment really about?

Happiness?

Does enjoyment truly lead to happiness? Maybe temporarily, but permanently?

As Swami Chinmayananda says, wrong understanding of freedom leads to licentiousness. Which means that one has no self-control whatsoever.

Very soon, the diminishing marginal utility principle starts working, and the 5th scoop of ice cream and the 10th scoop have the same limited value to someone with a massive sweet tooth (like me!).

True freedom isn’t simply letting the mind and body do whatever they want. Rather true freedom, is keeping the mind and body under “our” control.

But who are we, if not the mind and body? Hmm…

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AI or Artificial Intelligence is just extraordinary.

Anyone who’s used chatGPT for only a few minutes even, will agree.

Whatever it does, and in the micro/nanoseconds it does it, is simply unfathomable to the human mind.

Just how can it understand anything and everything we prompt, and then create an answer or even an image (video too soon, it seems), and then format it, and send it back, in just the blink of an eye?

Almost impossible we’d have thought 2 years ago, before it was publicly revealed.

But chatGPT creator Sam Altman went on record yesterday to say that “chatGPT will soon be remembered as the dumbest AI ever used by man.”

Holy moly to whatever is coming up next. But importantly, there’s no place for ego in life. Even the best of yesterday is not good enough today. Not in human life, not in AI life.

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Prayers are a vital link to the divine, at the heart of spiritual devotion across religions, each with its own rituals. We often wait eagerly for answers after praying, but the Divine communicates in unpredictable ways, unlike showing His/Her immediate physical presence in movies like “Oh My God” and “Bruce Almighty.”

• We seek strength, and instead, maybe rewarded with challenges that make us stronger.
• We hope for prosperity, and are reminded to use our skills and effort.
• We ask for courage, and encounter situations that reveal our deepest fears, that can only be overcome by inner strength.
• We wish for divine love, and find opportunities to help those in distress, serving the divine through our actions.

Patience and awareness are essential. The divine doesn’t make grand gestures like in movies but subtly shows us paths to answer our prayers. We must recognize and seize these opportunities, maintaining our faith.

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So apparently there are 4 types of muktis or liberations (never a dull day in spirituality, always something new to learn!).

1. Salokya Mukti – Residing in the same realm as the deity, contingent on the merits earned through spiritual practices like chanting. This state is temporary, with individuals returning to life’s cycle once merits are exhausted.
2. Samipya Mukti – Achieving closeness to the deity, akin to a servant-master relationship, leading to enlightenment through divine service.
3. Swarupya Mukti – Adopting a form similar to the divine, specifically reflecting aspects of the Divine Feminine such as Lalita Tripusundari or Bagalamukhi from the ten Mahavidya pantheon.
4. Sayujjya Mukti – The ultimate union, merging entirely with Ishwar (God), transcending all distinctions between worshipper and worshipped. This profound state can be achieved in higher states of consciousness accessible through advanced spiritual practices.

These muktis represent stages on the path to spiritual fulfillment and the eventual dissolution into divine oneness.

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There’s a nice video doing the rounds on social media. It’s called the Root vs Fruit system.

The essence is a comparison of the two systems that work inside of a tree.

One is called Gravitropic, where the roots of the tree grow towards gravity. It’s dark and damp, and it takes plenty of effort to grow into the ground.

But it is 100% required. Because without the roots, the trunk and branches and leaves and fruits wouldn’t even exist.

Speaking of fruits, the other part is called Phototropic, which is the part of the tree that grows towards sunlight. And eventually leads to the blossoming of flowers and their fruits.

Life is like that, isn’t it? One needs to hunker down and do the hard work in the darkness and dampness. And only then would one really be able to shine in the light.

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