You Squeeze Me Like A Lemon

Dear Life,

You promised me a lot. But what you have given me has surpassed all that you promised. I knew that both beauty and ugliness would come my way for nothing comes unalloyed in life. My life has encompassed both good and bad because you have made me understand only too well that nothing comes unalloyed. When I look back and also regard the present, I realise that the richness of life is in bringing all these experiences together and weaving a beautiful tapestry of them.

When I try to achieve my goals in haste, you slow me down. You teach me patience; the value of waiting for what is worthwhile. You teach me that life is ever-flowing; like the river that gets around so many bends and boulders, you also make me flow over and around obstacles and difficulties.

The trajectory I choose for myself now is different, on account of the lessons you have taught me. By choosing not to identify myself completely with difficulties that come my way, I look beyond them and myself, despite my multiple identities, to the spiritually awakened Self that’s inside me.

I had the same expectations as many others do -- marriage and family. But you showed me that there are infinite ways of reaching my full potential. There are conventional structures and landmarks, but not all of us pass by the same way.

You often squeeze me like a lemon and so stress, pain and defeat become part of my experiences. You make demands on me. I was made to take on responsibility, to care for others and to give something back to you. However, when the demands became excessive you have shown me that sometimes I have to be squeezed to give of my best.

You have also given me the chance and opportunity to recover when the feeling of being squeezed of all energy threatens to take over. There comes a healing touch – or there is sickness that forces one to stop and take stock, and helps one emerge fitter and stronger for the experience.

Looking, back, I find that you have enriched me with a gamut of experiences. You’ve let me experience the fact that being tested does not mean one has to seek escape from you. When we say ‘yes’ to life, we are really saying ‘yes’ also to surprises, setbacks and personal tragedies, and not only to happy times.

In the course of my life, so many things have happened, but not every happening was significant. I have now learned to skip and not mull over or get bogged down by happenings that could have been accidental, coincidental or negative, and therefore they do not say much to me anymore.

Life, you are a twin sister of Time. In learning to make the best use of time and putting our talents to best use in activities that are essentially time-bound, we are really living life to the full. There is time for everything under the sun. But you have impressed upon me that I should do and undertake only work and activities that promote life, not destroy it.

Yet, may I request you: Please don’t squeeze me like a lemon. I have learnt my lessons and the need to put up a good fight and keep the faith. I will celebrate you and not waste the opportunity.

And when I whisper a prayer, I will say, ‘Thank You Life, for the gift of Self to me’.

Night of Awakening

Shiva literally means that which is not. That which is, is Existence, Creation; that which is not is Shiva. When you open your eyes and look around, if your vision is for small things, you will see Creation; but if your vision is really looking for big things, you will see that the biggest presence in the Existence is a vast emptiness. A few spots, here and there, which we call galaxies, are much noticed, but the vast emptiness that holds it does not come into everybody's notice. This vastness, this unbounded emptiness, is what is referred to as Shiva. 

Science also proves that everything comes from nothing and also goes back to nothing. It is in this context that Shiva, the vast emptiness or nothingness or the experience of it, is also referred to as Mahadeva, the great Lord. It is this knowledge and understanding that led to creation of the path of yoga and numerous spiritual paths through which, over the ages, countless seekers have attained realisation. For those without an active spiritual process in their life, this knowledge was presented as a rich culture with all its colourful festivals and celebrations.

Shiva is known in yogic culture as Adiyogi or the first yogi and also the first guru. For the first time, he showed that a human being can evolve beyond his limitations, till then, it was believed that you can't change the way God made you. A journalist once asked me, “Who do you think is the biggest contributor for consciousness in the West?” Without hesitation, I said: Charles Darwin. He was a biologist who, for the first time in the western world, brought the possibility that life can evolve. Whatever we look like now, whatever we are right now, we need not remain that way. We have evolved from another state, and we can evolve further. Evolution need not be physical; you might have lost a tail but you don’t have to grow horns now.

We talk about Shiva, the limitless and Shiva the Adiyogi, in the same context because the one who knows it, one who has perceived it and what it is, are not different. Because everything in this existence we know only by our perception. We believe we know, but we only know what we have perceived. And the way we perceive it is our truth, but that's not the truth.

So when we say Shiva, for most people, it means three eyes. Why three? Because it is an enhanced state of perception. What you might not see with two eyes could be seen with the third. And the stories of burning doing the rounds are not about burning somebody else. When your third eye opens, your perception opens up, your ignorance and compulsions will be burnt up. The science he offered to make this happen is referred to as yoga.

Shiva is known as every kind of contradiction. Your life becomes easy when you accept life around you. So when you accept Shiva, you naturally accept everything.

Mahashivaratri is of great significance because on this night, even non-seekers and those engrossed in their day-to-day life can reap great spiritual benefits by being receptive. On this night, the planetary positions are such that, in the northern hemisphere, there is a natural upsurge of spiritual energies in the spine that can be beneficial if you keep your spine erect and remain alert and aware. If you can stay awake with the intention, “I want to evolve,” this night can be a powerful possibility.

Enlightenment and wisdom were almost always transmitted in the presence of a tree. May this Mahashivaratri be not only a night of wakefulness but also a night of awakening for you.

When all is well

Believe in yourself and everything will be fine, says Masha Hassan 

I have never topped in class, neither have I won any race, or gold medal. I have a different perspective on winning. Being optimistic is a good trait to have; it helps you open up to new ideas, giving a new meaning to life. Everybody has to face rejection at some point. Like most great men and women you should never lose hope. 

King Bruce of Scotland was defeated by his enemies and had to flee. One day, he was sitting at a hideout where a spider was trying to climb a rock but it would fall. Despite repeated failure, the spider would not give up. It would start climbing from the base and after reaching a particular spot, it would fall again.

King Bruce observed that the spider kept trying persistently, showing a lot of patience and perseverance. The spider once again started to climb and for what seemed like the umpteenth time, it succeeded! The spider’s tenacity inspired King Bruce and he was convinced that if he tried hard enough, he would succeed, too. 

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most famous and influential composers of all time. His hearing deteriorated, but he continued to perform even after he became deaf. Nelson Mandela was the first Black President of South Africa; he struggled against apartheid in the country. Winston Churchill suffered from speech disorder; he took several years to overcome it. However, he became a great public speaker, inspiring hope in millions through his speeches and rallying many more through his political campaigns. Jesus had faith and with that faith, he healed his followers and performed miracles. On several occasions, he credited the healings to the recipient’s faith. Just like Jesus, we need to have faith in ourselves, that everything would be fine.

We all suffer at some point or the other, we feel sad, but it all depends on how we look at it. If we think positive, we will be able to see a silver lining even in the darkest cloud, in every difficult situation we face. We have to remember one thing: life never stops and the clock keeps ticking. We have to look at the brighter side of things and be inspired. To me, spirituality does not mean accepting a certain form of ritual or praying before an idol. It’s about having faith in myself, finding inner peace and being inspired. When you do that, even in the hardest of times, there will be only one voice reverberating inside you, saying: ‘Everything will be just fine’. 

Learn The Art Of Loving

To love simply means that you feel that something clicks within the two of you, says Osho.

My understanding is that the woman has more capacity to create the atmosphere of caring because she is by nature programmed to be a mother. Every woman should also be a mother to her lover….

Unfortunately, the world has taken it for granted that everyone knows how to love, so no educational system, no university has courses in the art of love. It is very strange that the most important thing is neglected.

Nobody is taught the simple art of love. Because the boy cannot touch the girl, he throws a stone. At least the stone he has touched will touch the girl!

It does not appear clearly to people who don’t understand the human mind, that he is touching the girl from a distance because closeness is not allowed; he is taking the air out of her bicycle.... In fact, he wants her to be on his bicycle, but neither does he understand nor does she understand.

The problem is that society is not providing proper guidance for what you should do, and it is one of the most fundamental problems of man’s life: his sexuality, his love. Somehow he has to learn how to rise above biology. Biology remains a part — I am not against biology, but biology is very mediocre and ordinary. Some poetry, some music, some dance — and finally, some ice-cream. They are absolutely needed....

Why The Chase?
The world has been teaching girls: you should run away and allow the boys to chase you. But don’t run away so fast that they lose hope. Run away and then wait. Let them come closer and then run away and wait...finally to be caught.... It is just to give you a sense that you are responsible for whatever happens afterwards. Because the girl was running away, you chased her, you caught her. And in fact the truth is that she is managing it so that you can chase her. She is managing it so that you can catch her. So she remains higher than you and she will remind you again and again, “I was not after you, you were after me.”

But there is no need for chasing and being caught. People should be more understanding and approach each other saying, “I have something in my heart that starts dancing when I come close to you. If you also have something of the same, perhaps we can have a few days....” And life is not so long!

Be authentic and say to a man or a woman, “I love you. I like your eyes; I like your face.... That does not mean that I will like everything of you, but I will try to avoid those things. If you have any sensitivity for me, I am available. I don’t ask for your totality nor should you ask for my totality.”

That’s what you are asking: totality. Poor human beings cannot be total; and things go on changing. Today what seems to be great love will not look so great tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow, it will be ordinary repetition and you will start looking here and there for how to have that great totality again.

The Great Illusion

There is no totality; there is only illusion of totality in life. The man of intelligence understands that life is not perfect and is not meant to be perfect. It is imperfect. We are all imperfect beings. So although there may be nooks and corners which you don’t like about a person, there may be things that you do like.... Don’t wait for a dream girl. Be more realistic and try to understand that everybody has faults, and to love someone does not mean that you have to change that person. To love that person does not mean that you have to destroy his freedom.

To love simply means that you feel that something clicks within the two of you. As long as that dance within your heart remains, good.