To what extent does one's professional success depend on one's love for one's job?

To what extent does one's professional success depend on one's love for one's job?

This is a highly debatable subject. I know of many people who loved their jobs passionately, but failed at it miserably, whereas the world is full of instances of people who succeed at what they do, despite not liking what they do... What exactly is at play here?

First of all, one must remember that different people are motivated by vastly different reasons.

One person may not really like the work that he does, but is motivated highly by the lucrative pay packet and perks... he may perform consistently well to continue raking in the financial benefits.

On the other hand, another person may love the profession he is in, but may not be able to cope with the organisational pressures and politics that he may be subjected to.

Every business model has profit as one of the main goals, and unfortunately, every organization is not run by visionaries who are also empathetic leaders with deep concern for the well being of employees.

Now, all organizations would like to retain a good performer, but loving the job does not necessarily qualify one as a good performer. A good performer has to have a rich and diverse set of skills that extend beyond just the job at hand. It includes people management, time management, self motivating capability, tact, a high tolerance threshold, etc.

Hence the demand for training professionals in today's job market. A training professional is able to take all the various factors that constitute success into accout and equip professionals for success.

With the increasing complexity in psychology, a firm grounding in human psychology and the psychology of relationship is essential, along with the wisfom and foresight to apply the right skill at the right place/time.

TONIGHT

Tonight the firmament is full of stars,
Scintillating, bright, pulsating light.
And high upon the deep
A presence moves,
At once invisible and in sight.

Cradled in the hand of God
The mighty planets reside.
They question not, but abide.

Upon the earth two souls unite
In perfect harmony.
No fear, no pride, no respect lost,
And great is achieved at little cost.

We are the substance,
We are the sum,
When we find equilibrium.

And all is well, within and without,
Peace and calm reign supreme.
A new leaf begins to sprout,
With the birth of a new dream.

A dream of distance and of love,
As below, so above.
And distance is but space,
To behold the beloved's face.

And so God teaches and is taught
By man, by woman, beast and child,
By things beautiful and things wild,
That all belong in the Greater All,
And Earth is within Heaven's Hall.

S.B.

Flesh and Bone

Oh Flesh and Bone!
A dream made real
You are,
Composed of starlight
And hope, and longing
Turned to actuality.

An awful man

Met an awful man today
With the voice of a teen
And the mind of a maniac.
He has inherited a tutorial
And treats teachers like
So many little tin cans.
His voice an arrow
Thats lights with precision
On the other's flesh
Slicing man like bacon meal.
Said he pompously,
"I do this business for profit"
"This study center is a Mudi Dokan
for me. It's all about the money!"
Won't someone tell him
That Mudiwalas deal in inanimate objects
While good teachers engage themselves
In the nurturing and nourishing of life?
His wife a teacher,
embarrassed and teary eyed,
Silently swallowed her fate.

Freedom from self

A mind full of ideas and preconceived notions about god can never experience divinity. The mind limits itself to the confines of what it thinks it knows. And thus begins the endless cycle of creation, second hand creation of images and rituals and beliefs based on the content of the mind. And it is all this that constitutes the self. And we make it stronger and cling to this identity as if our existence depended on it. Do you see how ridiculous all this is?
Freedom is freedom from ideas and concepts. Freedom is to be able to breathe without thinking about how to do it. Freedom is to be able to laugh heartily when one feels like and to love generously without inhibition. Freedom is the reclamation of innocence.

Be free, of all things, of the suffering self, and live.

Love,
Sanjay.

The Story of My True, Almost Unreal Experiments With Truth (and other delusions)

My spiritual journey began relatively early in life. At the age of 9, I was already curious about God, thanks to my missionary education. Jesus and plain simple Christianity was a good starting point.

As I grew older, my interest in all things material and spiritual (from sex to samadhi, as Osho put it), spiked. Being a voracious reader, by the age of 15 I had pretty much digested the entire spectrum of religious mythology from Hinduism and Buddhism to Graeko-Roman Myths.

The result was a tiny head full of ideas, including very imaginative concepts ranging from physical immortality to levitation and psycho-kinesis.

My early youth from age 17 to 25 years or so was a confusing period. I had many experiences, from sex, drugs and rock n roll to far out experiences of "satori" or spontaneous illumination. My life was a flurry moving like a rapid technicolor reel.

At the age of 23, I lost my hearing for a week due to overexposure to loud sound. That pretty much put an end to my blossoming career prospect as Rock Star. My hearing returned gradually, but I was diagnosed with "tinnitus" a disease which modern medicine is clueless about. The symptoms incluse a high-pitched extremely disturbing siren that keeps ringing in the ears even when there is no external stimulus. The attendant problems are very low noise tolerance thresholds, extreme irritability, inability to ever again experience the beauty of silence, and worst of all insomnia.

Coming as I did from a classical dysfunctional family, I had little ot no emotional support from my parents. Add to that the misery of growing up with a father who was Obsessive-Compulsive and extremely violent. In short, life was hell. And thus began my pursuit of heaven.

My pursuit of heaven was marked by extensive far reaching forays into various meditative disciplines and practices. I have had a wide range of meditative experiences, from the sublime to the terrifying. These were interesting and stressful.

I have been formally initiated into at least 5 spiritual disciplines and have informally had love affairs with several others. I explored sufism, tibetan buddhism, hinduism, vedanta, bhakti marga, zen, taoism, esoteric christianity, tantra, yoga marga.

My intense involvement with these paths kept me from going insane from the pressure of managing my job as a teacher, dysfunctional relationships, chronic health issues (anxiety disorder, irritable bowel syndrome & tinnitus) and other evils. Needless to say, I lost many friends along the way, suffered countless personal and financial losses and ended up disillusioned with "everything".

Now I've entered my 40's. What's changed? Well, on the surface, nothing. Except the few things that have - reconciliation with my brother, a mature and caring wife, my career change from teaching English to helping people live stress- free lives (surely i'm uniquely qualified to help people with stress related issues as I've experienced the entire gamut of stress related problems myself and have lived through it all to tell the tale).

The time is now ripe for me to share my realizations:

1) parenting is not for idiots and insensitive folk. It requires great skill and intelligence.

2) meditation is an activity that can divert your attention from things that are sources of problems. Meditation does not solve problems. It can however help one cope with problems and live through the most challenging situations by activating brain centres that can render considerable support in times of crisis.

3) no god or guru can take your pain. It's yours to suffer and sort out.

4) loving relationships are more important than material possessions.

5) when all else fails, surrender, simply breathe, watch the breath with ease and allow it to gradually deepen and relax.

God bless,

Sanjay.

Kumbhaka & Raja Yoga

Kumbhaka ordinarily means "breath retention". However, one must remember that yoga is not mere physical exercise. It is a metaphysical action that restores to the yogi the state of one - ness. Shiva is the masculine or active force. Shakti the feminine or passive force. In the context of breath, Shiva is inhalation, the positively charged breath that energises and Shakti is exhalation, the negatively charged breath that relaxes. The middle, the space where the inhalation and exhalation meet is kumbhaka,  the union of Shiva and Shakti. When the yogi consciously raises the inhalation to the third eye with the mystical mantra of Shiva-Shakti, holds it in that space and releases it,  he is a Raja Yogi. This is the essence of Raja Yoga.

On falling in love

Why is falling in love the most beautiful feeling? Because it is a series of moments that are full of potential, possibilities. A lover looks at life in frames, much like a photographer or film maker does. He strains, effortlessly, every moment, to experience to the fullest the most beautiful essence of the present. There is a sense of shared delight, a sense of oneness with existence through the beloved, because the beloved is more than "just another person". The beloved is a symbol. And it is in this respect that the beloved assumes the qualities of eternity and infinity. In the shade of her hair is the choicest perfume that all the jasmine trees in the world cannot offer. In the sweetness of her kiss is the tenderness that never before was. The experiencer creates, or more appropriately, co-creates his reality with the beloved and all that is available to him at the moment within the frame of his experience. To drink the essence of the moment is indeed the essence of love. The proof is that when a love affair ends, there is even in the ending a sweetness. The ending is to the lover not a full stop, but rather a full stop magnified as it were, infinitely, till it assumes the proportions of an endless, bottomless pit of intense emotion into which one falls, and keeps falling. It is, in a sense, death - the drowning of the self in the ocean of emotion. Therefore, to die to the self, is to love.

The Nedungadi Clan-Ancestry & Origin

The Nedungadi Clan is an ancient clan from Kerala tracing their ancestry back to Kashyapa Muni. Kashyapa Muni fathered 7 clans of Nagas, or Divine Serpents. The Nedungadis are descended from Ananta Shesha, who is also called Nagaraja, or the King of all the serpent clans. He is an expansion of the Original Adi Ananta Shesha, on whom Lord Vishnu rests. Adi Ananta Shesha is the first expansion of Mahavishnu, the preserver of the worlds. When Vishnu exhales, countless worlds are created and when He inhales, they are absorbed into Him. Ananta Shesha supports all of creation on His 1000 bejewelled heads.
The Nagavangshis (descendants of the Naga Clans) are said to be wise, spiritually elevated beings on par with demi-gods.
Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras is an Incarnation of Ananta Shesha. So is the great Vaishnava Acharya Ramanujacharya. The mantra Ramanujacharya revealed is the same mantra that Ananta Shesha constantly sings with His 1000 mouths : OM NAMO NARAYANAYA. This mantra is in praise of Lord Mahavishnu, and remembering and reciting it with devotion comprises the spiritual duty of all the members of the Nedungadi Clan. In this lies their supreme spiritual and material welfare and ultimate emancipation.

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Vampires: Myth and Reality

Vampires – Myth and Reality

Human society has seen a dramatic increase in the interest in Vampires and Vampirism lately. The Vampire is no longer that pathetic ugly blood-thirsty Nosferatu of east-European folk-lore, but an enigmatic symbol of beauty, power, sensuality and immortality.
What is the social psychology behind this modern day phenomenon? It is Individual Empowerment. We live in an age when larger numbers of people are facing identity crises, as a result of centuries of indoctrination and merciless lessons in social conformity. There are those among us who are depleted of our dignity and sense of Self as a result of this systematic annihilation of the individual. We seek to be free, to revel in our own glory and to experience the world as never before. We want to grow in sensitivity so that our experience of the world may be enhanced. The modern Vampire persona is the perfect outlet for this desire of ours. Though Stephanie Meyer has brought Vampires into the living rooms of most modern day families across the globe, Anne Rice must be credited with really resurrecting the Vampire in all its glory in her "Vampire Chronicles". The Vampire Lestat is "the" Vampire, representing the ultimate struggle to be all one can be, to be oozing, as it were, with "being". Vampirism is therefore, ironically, a celebration of life.
The idea of Vampirism has its origin in ancient Indian mythology, in the persona of the Great Goddess Kali. She has been revered, feared, misunderstood, and associated with all manner of superstitious belief over the centuries. And why not? She is after all not so simply understood or appreciated. Dark, naked, with wild hair like that of a Maenad, clothed in the limbs of her enemies, with extended canines, her long tongue lolling out, dripping with the blood she has consumed – to put it across in modest terms, Kali is simply overwhelming.
The legend of Kali is thus: The world, according to its cyclic movement, had once again moved from an age of light to one of dense darkness and ignorance. Demonic forces plagued the Gods and Humans alike, who were powerless against the mighty Mahisasura, a powerful Demon who through his intense asceticism and yoga had obtained the boon that he could be slain by no male entity, whether man or god. The Gods gathered in council and decided to manifest from their collective energies the great Goddess Durga, who would be an emanation from Lord Shiva's spouse Parvati, possessed of all the collective might of the Gods. She would bring an end to the atrocious rule of Mahisasura.
When the Goddess Durga confronted the mighty Mahisasura, she was aided by her manifold Shaktis or powers. In Mahisasura's demonic army, was a most diabolical demon by the name of Rakta-Bija. Durga destroyed all the forces of evil that were under Mahisasura's command, all except Raktabija, who possessed a unique ability. Every time a single drop of his blood was shed, a hundred more Raktabijas sprang forth from it. He was an inexhaustible source of evil. How could Durga slay him and prevent him regenerating from his own blood? She manifested from her infinite power the great and terrifying Goddess Kali, who drank the vile blood of Raktabija, even as she ripped him apart and consumed him. Inebriated with the blood of the demons and consumed by blood-lust, Kali went on a senseless rampage, slaughtering all in her way, even after the demonic army had conceded defeat. To stop her, the lord of yogis, Shiva, lay down in her path of destruction. It was only when she stepped on the supine Shiva that she came back to her senses, and ceased her relentless attack. Then onwards, she has been worshipped by all seeking to overcome evil forces.
This story is deeply symbolic. To understand the symbolism is to grasp the truth behind the legend. Man, as he is possessed of choice, has recourse to both good and evil. The Divine and Demonic forces thus exist within man. The word "rakta" means blood, and "bija" means seed. In other words, the demon Raktabeeja is actually symbolic of genetic or inherited negative traits present in each individual. Kali, is the force of yoga or inner purification, which consumes inherited evil and prevents it from increasing or multiplying.
This legend was carried out of India by wandering Gypsy tribes. The legend was slowly distorted, and these distortions, along with the inherent fear present in man, and man's tendency to exploit fear, led to the creation of the East-European vampire Nosferatu, the undead. Nosferatu, in turn gave birth to Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Dracula spawned the hordes of vampires, the tales of which have found new meaning in today's world.
In a certain sense, the original idea of the Vampire has come full-circle. From Kali, who drinks evil blood and purifies, to the modern-day vampire, who has a conscience, and a moral responsibility to control his own blood-thirst and to seek great beauty in existence.

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Psychosomatic Illness: What it is, and how to heal it.

What is Psychosomatic Illness?
The word 'psychosomatic' has its origins in the words psycho=pertaining to the mind/psyche, and somatic=pertaining to the physical body. Thus the term 'psychosomatic' means physical illness that originates in the mind. Some people have the wrong notion that psychosomatic conditions are entirely in the mind. This is not so. These conditions are actual physical ailments that have their origin in the human mind.

How do Psychosomatic diseases originate?
The human mind is a wonderfully complex entity. It is constantly at work recording, interpreting and co-relating countless sensory inputs that are picked up by the brain. The mind has the capacity to see 'what is' with clarity or the ability to distort 'what is' by comparing/contrasting and relating it the many ideas/impressions already present. This over-activity of the mind leads to confusion and confused states of perception. Moreover, the mind keeps dividing itself into many different fragments, each of which harbours and protects ideas that are contradictory in nature. Though the mind compartmentalises ideas and thoughts to maintain each one's space and to avoid conflict, what inevitably and ironically happens is that the mind ends up fragmenting itself into many smaller entities, within the single individual. This in turn leads to a fragmented personality, or multiple personalities within one individual, which due to their peculiarities, are constantly at odds with each other. The consistent conflict between the different parts of the fragmented personality strains the nervous system, which gradually weakens and may even break down. The malfunctioning of the nervous system in turn affects the various organs in the body, thereby giving way to undesirable and unhealthy conditions or diseases. These diseases are often incurable by medicine. Tranquillizers often alleviate psychosomatic conditions, but fail to cure them.

How to cure/heal Psychosomatic diseases?
The way to cure psychosomatic diseases is a two-pronged approach. The bodily condition must be addressed by appropriate change of life style, adequate exercise and rest and a nutritious diet. However, this takes care of only the immediate discomfort. The real problem that needs to be addressed is the fragmentation within the individual personality. The only way to dissolve the various factions within the mind, that are at war with each other, is to bring the mind into a state of (almost) absolute silence/stillness. The various fragments, being parts of the same mind, are like waves in the ocean. Without wind, there are no waves. Similarly, without conflicting thoughts, which are like wild winds blowing in conflicting directions, there is no fragmentation in the mind. The way to still the mind is meditation. Meditation stills the mind, thereby restoring 'whole-ness' of being. The fragments are dissolved into the whole. the personality undergoes a process of letting go, which releases the attachment to the boundaries it has created. This leads to re-integration of the personality. It is this that leads to whole-ness and healing of the individual. To successfully cure/heal psychosomatic diseases, meditative practices should be made a regular and important part of one's everyday life. The unified awareness/consciousness that follows meditation must be carried forward into one's life, thereby altering the quality of one's existence.

Where can I learn meditation?
Depending on your inclination, there are numerous meditative traditions that you may approach. If you are interested in learning Hamsa Kriya Meditation, which is an ancient Indian system of psychic purification through breathing techniques, you may contact the author of this blog at:

Email: pathways.peace@gmail.com
Phone: +919748791486

Warm regards,
Sanjay Balachandran.
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Stress Management Through Hamsa Kriya.

Stress is a part and parcel of our lives. Nobody wants it, yet none is exempt from it. To a certain extent, stress is good, as it provides the challenge that is vital to growth and development. However, stress is unhealthy when the level of stress is consistent. Life is a play of stress and relaxation. In the absence of relaxation, stress becomes debilitating. The nervous system, consistently subjected to stress, works overtime and naturally gets worn out. Thus, its stress threshold gradually diminishes, till it is incapable of handling even minimal degrees of stress.

Hamsa Kriya is an ancient system of meditation that uses breath regulation to soothe and revitalise the nervous system. The techniques of Hamsa Kriya are simple and require no special modification of lifestyle. The change in quality of lifestyle becomes evident within a few weeks of practicing Hamsa Kriya.

Some of the benefits of Hamsa Kriya are:

1- Better quality of sleep

2- Increased vitality

3- Sharper memory and increased attention

4- Enhanced concentration, and ability to retain alertness and attentiveness for longer periods

5- Heightened sense of general well being

6- Improved digestion

7- Clarity in thinking

8- Self Knowledge

9- Empathy for others

This kriya is the discovery of the Yogis of India, who perfected the science of Yoga through rigorous practice and enquiry.

I was inspired by Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi to learn this kriya, and have been teaching it since 2007. My first experience of teaching this Kriya in 2007 was overwhelming. It was at a training program for 400 members of the Hindustan Unilever Network. The response was very positive. Since then, I have taught many people from various segments of society, and continue to do so. 

If you are interested in learning the Kriya individually, or wish to organise a program for your family, community or organization, you may contact me by mailing me at pathways.peace@gmail.com or call me at +919748791486.

With warm regards,

Sanjay Balachandran