How to Overcome Anger?

* This post is mainly intended for married folks. 

People, especially, married folks, attribute the outbursts of anger to the minor differences in opinion, which arise between them. Anger, they feel, mushrooms out of trifle events or incidents, in their lives. After the outbursts of anger, they settle down the differences and apologize to each other. They feel the need to understand each other in a better way. But as soon they settle down for a while, there comes another event or an incident, which triggers the anger again. They again trace out the root of anger to the differences in opinion, arising out of petty issues. They reconcile themselves again only to find the cycle repeating itself - the cycle of anger and reconciliation.

People, deceive themselves in this way, by attributing the outbursts of anger to the general differences in opinion. Some educated ‘kids’, try to show off their maturity. They often say, ‘We need to sit down and talk to each other, and iron out the differences’. They make promises again, never to quarrel, but only to break. This ‘matured-talk’, then becomes a laughing-stock. This matured-talk is again a deception.

Anger.

Anger, in general, matures out of lust. Anger and lust are the obverse and the reverse side of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. This truth is exemplified in the following verse in the Bhagavad Gita.

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.”  (2.62)

The real nature of men and women, in general, is the Atman. Atman is eternally pure. Anything which brings down from the level of the Atman is a degeneration. This degeneration, from the level of the Atman, makes men and women angry. They fight over each other because they find themselves in a state of degeneration, in the bodily plane. In the state of degeneration, any trifle incident can serve as a trigger for this anger.

How does anger work?

Men and women, have in them a so-called ‘spiritual-force’, which comes out of the conservation of the ‘life-force’ in the body. In the spiritual anatomy of the human body, there are seven spheres or seven planes of consciousness, on which the spiritual-force linger. The highest being the plane of the Atman, and the lowest being the plane of the body.

Generally, this force lingers in a lower plane, most of the time. In this plane, men and women often remain prone to anger and other animalistic tendencies. There are several reasons why this spiritual-force linger in this lower plane.

      It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane if one remains in the company of the opposite gender all the time. Because the idea of the body brings them down to a lower plane. So, it is highly improbable for married men and women to raise themselves into a higher plane until they shed the idea of the body completely. People may mimic being spiritual, but it doesn’t come without a perfect detachment.

Also, it is highly recommended for meditative folks not to look upon the opposite gender, for it brings down the spiritual-force down to the lowest plane. Men and women remain prone to anger when they are on a lower plane.

It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane, because of the loss of life-force in the body. The aftermath of the loss of life-force in the body is the extreme revulsion towards the body. The beauty, which a short while ago appeared in their eyes, in the form of a prince or a princess, now seem like a pig. As a result of this revulsion, people loath the company of the opposite gender, and try to run away from them. Out of this loathing comes the anger. In that state, even a small incident may serve as a spark to trigger the anger.

Anger is like that. 

When the life-force builds up after the loss, they seek the company of the opposite gender again. Thus, the cycle of attraction and loathing continue, as long as they remain in the lower plane or until the body wears them down. In this way, men and women find themselves in a lower plane all the time.

It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane if one is attracted towards sense-objects or objects of enjoyment. Attraction towards certain food stuff (food which intends enjoyment), excessive sleep (for it is a kind of bodily attachment), the too much external orientation of the mind, and restlessness of the mind can bring the spiritual force down to a lower plane. Again, men and women, are prone to anger when they find themselves in a lower plane.

The best way to overcome anger is to know the real nature of our being and to progress towards it. Our real nature is the Atman, which is never touched by bodily defilements.

In order to overcome anger, one has to overcome the idea of the body completely. One should overcome all ideas of attraction arising out of this identity. One should refrain from all sense objects completely, to overcome anger.

Therefore, know yourself to be the Atman, and be free from all bodily defilements.

Thank You.

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How to Overcome Lust?

Lust is like a hydra-headed monster, with its several heads spraying poisonous venom on the prey, to kill it. Lust, with its several heads, devours everything. In the past, it has devoured many kingdoms. Lust results in death, the death of the higher being in man, being entangled in lower animalistic pleasures. Lust bring us to the level of the animals, and people often commit gruesome crimes when they are taken over by lust.

Hydra headed Lust. 

'Atman' is the real nature of our being. All struggle against nature is to attain this state. In fact, man cannot remain entangled in lust forever, as lust is the material condition of life; whereas, man is the pure infinite being. Therefore, the struggle is the natural course of action to overcome lust. All beings struggle to overcome it.

To overcome lust one has to know its origins. Fighting lust, without knowing its origins, is like fighting an invisible enemy. So one has to know clearly of what lust is, and where its origins are.

The general perception of lust is that it originates from the picturization of the opposite gender in an obscene manner. But this is only a tip of the iceberg. But lust originates even from a very simple and trivial things as well, which we generally ignore. Slowly the trivial thing snowballs into an avalanche and appears in the form of lust. There are hundreds and thousands of such trivial things around us which trigger lust.

For example, excessive sleep can trigger lust, excessive food can trigger lust, spicy food can trigger lust, an impure food can trigger lust, excessive talk can trigger lust, excessive surfing in the net can trigger lust, not taking bath can trigger lust, restlessness of the mind can trigger lust, too much of external engagement can trigger lust, a climate change can trigger lust, travel can trigger lust, roaming can trigger lust, uncleanliness can trigger lust, a trivial sense pleasure can trigger lust. Likewise, there are hundreds of factors around us that triggers lust.

So how does it work?

For example, an excessive sleep can generate a kind of residual heat in the body and this heat alters the heat and cold patterns prevailing in the body. This alteration of the heat and cold patterns in the body has a direct relation in maintaining the life fluid in the body.

When the residual heat acts upon the life fluid, it triggers a kind of picturization of the opposite gender. And here the gender part comes into play. The mind is made to take up forcibly certain picturization to alter the status quo of the life fluid. If the thing doesn't happen in the waking state, then the mind takes up the picturization in the dream state. If it doesn't happen in the dream state, it wears down in a natural way.

So the habits in us can trigger lust and not the gender in reality. Though the gender has a direct role, all other factors too count in an equal measure. People who are prone to lust don't have clean habits in general.

The first major thing to overcome lust is to overhaul our habits completely. The first thing would be cutting down our sense pleasures which has a direct relation to the lust. Cutting down all sensory enjoyments and desires had to be done based on the individual impressions.

One has to take care of the food, sleep, and recreation and orient them properly in a measured way to conquer lust. It's just like a bowler finding a right line and length to take the wicket. The best way to overcome lust is to progress towards higher spiritual goals. Meditation and chanting the name of the Lord directly takes away one from the plane of lust.

These are the three simple tips for overcoming lust.

1.  Do not look upon a gender, and if you happen to look  at them look them in the attitude of brother, sister,  and so on.

2. Overhaul your habits completely. Find out the source  of triggers and get rid of them.

3. Know that you are the atman and meditate upon it.  Avoid all sense impressions and sense enjoyments.

Thank You.

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Everything that is wrong in the portrayal of the life of Buddha.

Many scholars, authors, and philosophers failed to portray the accurate picture of Buddha, the man who laid the foundation of a new religion, that was deemed revolutionary in those days. They either portray his life in the pattern of other religious faiths or in a fictitious way or in an esoteric poetic way or sometimes with too much philosophical content. They fail to understand the real import behind the life of Buddha, and amplify simple things into a complex maze of passages. One has to cut down this complex maze of things to arrive at his real life. One has to crop the fictitious stuff to appreciate the real beauty of his life. We will examine the elements that did not help to make up the real life of Buddha.

One of the most famous scholars, Paul Carus, the author of the celebrated 'Gospel of Buddha', adopted the pattern of New Testament to portray the life of Buddha. Although, he made comparisons with the teachings of Christ to the teachings of Buddha, yet, adopted many Christian elements from the New Testament, and incorporated it into the life of Buddha. For example, the concept of a devil is completely absent in the life and teachings of Buddha, yet it was introduced in the form of 'Mara', the devil, who tempted Buddha prior to his enlightenment. Mara is not a devil, as commonly understood, but desires or 'Vrittis', that hinder the liberation process. This Mara, then comes again and again, like a villain in a movie plot, and utterly ruins the beauty of the life of Buddha.

'Mara' attacking Buddha with his host of armies.

Buddha was born as Siddhartha and passed away into Nirvana, as an enlightened person. Buddha never paid heed to the idea of a personal God, yet, many of his followers elevated Buddha to the status of God and placed him in the highest among the pantheons of numerous Gods and Goddesses. There was a scene, in some books, where Brahma and other Gods, fold their hands in front of the enlightened Buddha and listen to his sermons. This is completely absurd, and contrary to the teachings of Buddha. Buddha condemned cult-worship, and himself become the subject of cult-worship in later days. Buddha condemned idol worship, and, yet, his idol was one of the most worshiped ones across the world.

Buddha's life was completely rooted in intense reality. Reality and fiction cannot go together. Yet, many poets, from the west, romanticized his life in a fictitious way. Even some famous manga artists from the east, massacred his life, in the form of fiction. 'Buddha', by Osamu Tezuka, was one such horrible depiction. The portrayal of the life of Buddha, in a fictitious way, is only a failure, for the man lived a life, rooted in intense reality. One must remember that religion is not fiction.

Manga massacre.

There are some books by philosophers, which take up the philosophical standpoint, in depicting the life of Buddha. Buddha, in his life, paid little heed to philosophical constructs, he, in fact, remained silent to many of the philosophical arguments, focusing only on practice rather than vague theories. It does not mean that Buddha was not philosophical at all. Philosophical speculations are good as long as it is applicable in the pragmatic form.

What we need is the unbiased life of Buddha, rooted in his teachings, free from elements of other religions, devoid of fiction, and too much of philosophical endorsements.

Thank You.

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The Four Things Which Bring Great Peace Of Mind.

1. Purity:

There is no other thing in the world which brings great peace of mind, great faith, and great confidence than the purity of the mind. All beings are innately pure. Only ignorance veils this purity. What brings great suffering in our lives is this ignorance. Never give up that faith in your purity, which is inherently yours, and whatsoever trouble that comes across the way, never give up that. What do you mean by purity? It is the faith in the Atman. It is the faith that you are the Atman and not the body. Any spiritual advancement along the direction of the Atman brings us close to the purity. Any downward degeneration brings us to the level of animals. One has to disengage from all sensual enjoyments to attain this state. 'Zero desires or no Vritti or sense impressions' - a person should strive hard to attain this state. I am sure you can be confident of anything and even dare death with purity.

Pure as the white flower.

2. Meditation:

Meditation, at least an hour a day, gives great peace of mind. Meditation is finding the peace within yourselves. Finding the real peace within is a great challenge, as people often take recourse to temples, books, and lectures, to find it. The real peace is within, always within and not without. Find a lonely place for meditation, and remember that meditation is not a kind of advertisement to the world.

Why should we meditate? To understand meditation, we need to understand the underlying philosophy behind it. Our real nature is always pure, as we have seen already, and all suffering is because of entanglement in nature or Prakriti. Meditation is the process of withdrawing ourselves from Prakriti. Detachment is the key to meditation. Men in the world die of attachment to objects. Detach yourselves from everything and be perfectly free. Once you start meditating, with the prerequisites fulfilled, you will find a great peace within. Meditation is the route to exit in this world of illusion and suffering. Exit as early as possible, because the world is not real.

Meditate to Exit. 

3. Detachment:

The only thing which hurts us deeply in our lives is the attachment. Attachment and love don't go together. Attachment intends 'I', whereas sacrifice is the basis of love. We confuse attachment with love and suffer in our whole lives. The emotions are paralyzing sometimes, making us forget our true nature. Don't judge things on emotions, because they always make us weak. Detachment is the key to peaceful life. Be strong in what you are and help others in whatever possible way you can, but never give way to weakness. To develop this attitude takes a great deal of experience, practice, and time. It doesn't come in a single day. Detach yourselves and save yourselves.

Be free.

4. Prayer:

The first prayer in our spiritual life should be this "Oh God! If I have done any kind of inconvenience or any kind of harm, knowingly or unknowingly, to anyone, please forgive me." Praying for others gives great peace of mind than praying for our own. There are millions of people who suffer every day, and it is our sole responsibility of ours to solve those problems. Our problems pale into insignificance when compared to the suffering humanity. Therefore, pray, pray, and pray for others.

Pray for peace

These are the four things, according to me, gives great peace of mind. What do you say?

Thank You.

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Light a Lamp.

The lamp is the symbol of 'Atman' or the highest divine principle in man. The lamp is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and happiness. The light of the lamp dispels all darkness in our lives. The light of the lamp dispels all miseries in our lives. Therefore, it goes without saying that it is the duty of every household members to light a lamp in their homes.

On two festive occasions, we do light the lamps i.e. Karthigai and Deepavali. These two occasions present a matter of great joy to everyone. Young people eagerly lighting lamps in their households and the resulting glow of the lights reflecting on the facade of every home is a great sight to behold. The joy of the children knew no bounds. We keep a steady watch over the lamps all the time and make sure that the oil is properly supplied to the lamps. We play around the lamps, and the first timers are particularly ecstatic over the prospect of lighting the lamps.

First times - delighted.

Nowadays, we use a kind of wax lamps and some designer lamps, but nothing comes near to the traditional earthen lamp. We must make sure that we do not forget this great tradition which our saints had granted us. Nowadays, we find a large number of palatial homes shrouded in darkness. A home which is devoid of lamps is a home of misery.

Karthigai.

The best time to light the lamps is during the sunset hours. During the sunset hours, the mind remains naturally in peace. The mind remains in a higher state without any effort on our part. This spiritual hour lingers for an hour or two. It is during these hours that we must light the lamps in our households. We may also meditate on the light as the symbol of the inner 'Atman'. The light burns all our mental dross and impurities. This light is a great redeemer.

Light a lamp in temples.

So, what are you waiting for? Pick some earthen lamp from the nearby store and purchase some cotton wicks and a bottle of oil. Light at least two earthen lamps in front of your house and see what difference it makes. Light a one in the meditation room, and light a one in the puja room. You will be surprised to find your neighbours getting delighted and will enquire about the lamps. Also, don't forget to light a lamp when you visit temples. 

The lamp is the guiding light in our lives. Therefore, light a lamp for knowledge, prosperity, peace, and liberation.

Thank You.


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The Four Animals in Man.

“Stand firmly and do not flinch in thy daily contest and especially beware of three beasts.

In the morning contend against sloth, at noon against gluttony, in the evening against carnal lust.

The dog will sleep long, the wolf will eat a great deal, and the ass will be wanton in lying down.

Rouse up the dog with a whip, beat the wolf with a staff and scourge the ass with thorns.” 

- Thomas. A. Kempis.

This is one of the popular quotes of Thomas. A. Kempis, the author of the famous 'Imitation of the Christ', one of the most widely read books in the Christian domain. He says that in our daily lives, we have to contend against three beasts namely dog, wolf, and Ass. I would like to add one more animal to the list namely pig. What do these animals represent in our lives? We will see how we behave like these animals under certain circumstances.

The Dog:

We behave like a dog when we sleep too much in the morning hours. The dog spends most of the morning hours in a heavy slumber. Even the scorching heat from the sunlight fail to deter this creature from sleeping. One of the worst thing that we do in our lives is to sleep like this dog, in the morning hours. We sleep until we are no longer able to bear the heat and the sunlight that comes through our windows. Some advanced creatures even sleep through this heat and the light, under the blanket. We ignore even the warning calls from our mothers. We simply behave like dogs.

Dog

Too much of sleep makes a man dull headed. We feel drowsy throughout the day. We forget our duties and go late everywhere. We feel a lack of energy even to do a small work. Too much of sleep is an indication of lack of proper goal orientation in our lives.

The best thing that we can do is to wake up at least an hour before sunrise. The best part is to begin with meditation because of the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the environment. We can then move on to physical exercises and cleaning our living rooms and so on. Life becomes successful when we begin to use our morning hours in a successful manner. Therefore, we have to shake up this dog that is sleeping in us.

The Wolf:

The wolf is well known for its insatiable appetite. It can even take down an entire buffalo under its belly. We too become like wolves when we eat anything and everything indiscriminately and inordinately. It brings us to the level of the animals.

Wolf appetite

Food has a great impact on our minds, and consecutively in our lives as well. The quantity and the quality of the food matters a lot. We should not go to the extremes in the matter of food. We should avoid taking too much, nor too less. We have to strike a right balance when it comes to the quantity of the food taken. The extreme levels bring us to the level of the body. Man, in order to progress higher in the spiritual life, should overcome the idea of enjoyment in food. Therefore, we have to shed this wolf that is hidden in us.

The Ass:

The ass or a donkey is synonymous with the carnal desires, in a man. Man cannot remain engaged in carnal desires for long, because of the presence of inherent divine principle. The carnal pleasures can give nothing but pain and suffering. The carnal desires lead directly to death. And further, it leads us to consequent rebirth. Desire - enjoyment - suffering - death - rebirth - this is the cycle. One has to break up this animal to break up the above cycle.

Ass

The Pig:

Where do you find a pig? In a gutter. Where do you find a drunkard man? In a gutter. We become like pigs and remain in the gutter when we are intoxicated by liquor and other addictive substances. Too much of spirit (alcohol) is not good for the spirit (Soul). A life of a drunkard is a pathetic one. Under the inebriated condition, a man forgets himself. A drunkard hurls abuses and picks up petty quarrels. Therefore, one has to give up this pig life.

Drunkard or a pig?

     These are the four animals which we have to contend against, in our daily lives. Only when we overcome these animal tendencies, we become a man. Spiritual life begins only when we become a man first.

Thank You.

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How to Transform Yourself into Light.

We are only aware of the light produced by the transformation of the energies. But, there is an inner light which only a few are aware of. Only through this inner light, we are able to perceive this outside world. This inner light pervades our mind and all the organs of our body, but at the same time, it is completely independent of it. This light appears as a witness to all the functionalities of the body and the mind. This light is divine and forms our real nature. This light is of the nature of peace, joy and permanence. It is the light of the Atman.

This is the light which appears as a halo around the great spiritual personalities. This is the light which the ancient and modern seers had prayed for thousands of years, in the form of this beautiful verse.

ऊँ असतोम सद्गमय, तमसोमा ज्योतिर्गमय ।

मृत्योर्मा अमृतंगमया, ऊँ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः ।।

Om, lead me from unreal to the real; lead me from darkness to light; lead me from death to immortality. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.

If the light is our real nature, then why are we not able to perceive it? We are not able to perceive because we are shrouded in ignorance. The ignorance covers our real being and prevents us from seeing it.

“…Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge.” (Gita 5.15)

Therefore, how to know our true being and transform ourselves into this light. This can be done by the following three steps.

Step1 - Transformation from a personality to a principle:

As we progress in spiritual life we become more of a principle than a person. For example, Swami Vivekananda became synonymous with the principle of the 'Atman', Buddha became synonymous with the principle of ‘Enlightenment’, and Mahatma Gandhi became synonymous with the principle of ‘Non-Violence’, and so on. All these personalities though live in the body become the living principles. We have to take note that these principles are eternal and cannot be destroyed. As a result, they transcend the time and space and become omniscient. So, this is the first step i.e., the transformation of a personality into a principle.

Step 2 - Elimination of 'Chitta Vrittis':

The next step involves the elimination of 'Chitta Vrittis'. The Chitta Vrittis are 'sense impressions', which prompts us to an action motivated by desires culminating in misery. The Chitta Vrittis are responsible for rebirth. Even a Vritti of an ice cream or a chocolate can produce a rebirth. In order to transform oneself into a light one has to eliminate all Chitta Vrittis.

The Chitta Vrittis are responsible for the so-called 'coming into being or existence'. We exist and come into appearance because of these Vrittis. The body is a kind of a gross Vritti, whereas thoughts accompanied by sense-impressions form the subtle Vrittis. When the subtle Vrittis are eliminated, the body has no scope for coming into being.

Step 3 – The final resolution:

            This is the phase where one transforms into light. The Gross body, when eliminated of its Vrittis, gets resolved into subtle elements, and the subtle elements get resolved back into its causal form. Now, the dissolution of the causal form in the light takes place.

    After reading this you may feel that it is highly improbable to do so. It looks like a fiction, but it is completely possible. Many saints in the past have done that. And one particular saint is our ‘Ramalinga Swamigal’, who dissolved himself into light. During his final departure, he locked himself in a room and disappeared with the body altogether.

The great Ramalinga Swamigal.

    It is a matter of great happiness to be a light rather than being entangled in the sufferings of the body.  Therefore, transform yourself into light.

Thank You.

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