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Monday, June 17, 2013

About ISP ...

What is - ISP The Art of Parenting
ISP - The Art of Parenting is an experiential workshop that guides parents on how to bring up children right from the stage of conception to 8 years.

It deals with the overall development of the child covering the Physical, Mental, Social, Emotional andSpiritual areas. It also deals with imparting total Education to the child covering all the 5 elements of nature, namely Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space.
What is the duration?
It is a 9 sessions program where one meets once a week for a duration of 3 hours.
Who is eligible to join this programme?
  • Those who are planning to have a child.
  • Those who are already pregnant.
  • Those who have children below 8 years of age.
  • Those who wish to contribute towards the growth and development of children.
  • When does one start?
    Right now ! Because ......
    It is easier to teach a child of 3 years than a child of 4 years.
    It is easier to teach a child of 2 years than a child of 3 years.
    It is easier to teach a child of 1 years than a child of 2 years.
    The earlier tone starts, the easier it is.
    In fact the best time to start is at time of conception itself !
    Do you Know?
  • You can affect your baby's superior intelligence in the womb itself.
  • Your child's brain grows to 50% by the age of 4years and to 80% by the age of 8 yrs.
  • Your baby can crawl on the first day of birth.
  • Your child can read like an adult at the age of 3years.
  • Your child can learn ten or more languages by the age of 4 years.
  • Your child can master the computer and play musical instruments by age of 3years.
  • Children love discipline.
  • Bringing up children is an effortless process.
  • Pregnancy is the most beautiful and joyful experience for a woman.
  • Parenting is the most joyful experience in life!
  • Wednesday, February 27, 2013

    Some good thoughts ...

    Some good thoughts ...


    Spirituality is about seeing everything around you as energy and not a person, thing or form. Connecting with that eternal energy beyond form is spirituality.

    When you are neither entangled not insecure you are FREE. Only entangled and insecure people are busy.

    When you get anything you become in-secured when you receive anything you become reassured.

    Ignorant Asks, Arrogant Commands, Irresponsible Claims, Curious Finds Out, Wise Discovers !

    Bonding is Blissful when nobody is carrying each others load, but when are connected with each other in Love.

    Sunday, November 25, 2012

    Nine Principles for Peace of Mind


    Nine Principles for Peace of Mind


    1.    Do Not Interfere In Others’ Business Unless Asked
    Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others’ affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right direction, our direction. This thinking denies the existence of individuality and consequently the existence of God… God has created each one of us in a unique way. No two human beings can think or act inexactly the same way. All men or women act the way they do because God within them prompts them that way. Mind your own business and you will keep your peace.

    2.    Forgive And Forget
    This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often develop ill feelings inside our heart for the person who insults us or harms us. We nurture grievances. This in turn results in loss of sleep, development of stomach ulcers, and high blood pressure. This insult or injury was done once, but nourishing of grievance goes on forever by constantly remembering it. Get over this bad habit. Life is too short to waste in such trifles. Forgive, Forget, and march on. Love flourishes in giving and forgiving.

    3.    Do Not Crave For Recognition
    This world is full of selfish people. They seldom praise anybody without selfish motives. They may praise you today because you are in power, but no sooner than you are powerless, they will forget your achievement and will start finding faults in you. Why do you wish to kill yours if in striving for their recognition? Their recognition is not worth the aggravation. Do your duties ethically and sincerely.

    4.    Do Not Be Jealous
    We all have experienced how jealousy can disturb our peace of mind. You know that you work harder than your colleagues in the office, but sometimes they get promotions; you do not. You started a business several years ago, but you are not as successful as your neighbor whose business is only one year old. There are several examples like these in everyday life. Should you be jealous? No. Remember everybody’s life is shaped by his/her destiny, which has now become his/her reality. If you are destined to be rich, nothing in the world can stop you. If you are not so destined, no one can help you either. Nothing will be gained by blaming others for your misfortune. Jealousy will not get you anywhere; it will only take away your peace of mind.

    5.    Change Yourself According To The Environment
    If you try to change the environment single-handedly, the chances are you will fail. Instead, change yourself to suit your environment. As you do this, even the environment, which has been unfriendly to you, will mysteriously change and seem congenial and harmonious.

    6.    Endure What Cannot Be Cured
    This is the best way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Every day we face numerous inconveniences, ailments, irritations, and accidents that are beyond our control. If we cannot control them or change them, we must learn to put up with these things. We must learn to endure them cheerfully. Believe in yourself and you will gain in terms of patience, inner strength and will power.

    7.    Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
    This maxim needs to be remembered constantly. We often tend to take more responsibilities than we are capable of carrying out. This is done to satisfy our ego. Know your limitations… Why take on additional loads that may create more worries? You cannot gain peace of mind by expanding your external activities. Reduce your material engagements and spend time in prayer, introspection and meditation. This will reduce those thoughts in your mind that make you restless. Uncluttered mind will produce greater peace of mind.

    8.    Never Leave The Mind Vacant
    An empty mind is the devil’s workshop. All evil actions start in the vacant mind. Keep your mind occupied in something positive, something worthwhile. Actively follow a hobby. Do something that holds your interest. You must decide what you value more: money or peace of mind. Your hobby, like social work or religious work, may not always earn you more money, but you will have a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Even when you are resting physically, occupy yourself in healthy reading or chanting of God’s name.

    9.    Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret
    Do not waste time in protracted wondering “Should I or shouldn’t I?” Days, weeks, months, and years may be wasted in that futile mental debating. You can never plan enough because you can never anticipate all future happenings. Value your time and do the things that need to be done. It does not matter if you fail the first time. You can learn from your mistakes and succeed the next time. Sitting back and worrying will lead to nothing. Learn from your mistakes, but do not brood over the past. DO NOT REGRET. Whatever happened was destined to happen only that way. Why cry over spilt milk?

    Tuesday, January 17, 2012

    दुंदुभी निनादल्या ...

    A group song from the school days.
    Really an inspirational song about one of the most daring act by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ... Afazul Khan Vadh !!


    दुंदुभी निनादल्या,  दशदिशा  कडाडल्या,
    केसरी गुहेसमीप मत्त हत्ती चालला, मत्त हत्ती चालला || 

    वाकुनी आदिलशाहास कुर्निसात देऊनी 
    प्रलयकाळ तो प्रचंड खान निघे तेथुनी 
    हादरली धरणी व्योम शेषहि शहारला || १ || 

    खान चालला पुढे अफाट सैन्य मागुती 
    उंट हत्ती पालख्या हि रांग लांब लांब ती 
    टोळधाड हि निघे स्वतंत्रता गिळायला || 2 || 

    श्रवणी तप्त तैलसे शिवास वृत्त पोचले 
    रक्त तापले कराल खड्ग सिद्ध जाहले 
    मर्दनास कालियास कृष्ण सिद्ध जाहला || ३ || 

    तुळजापूरची भवानी माय महन्मंगला 
    राउळात अधमखान दैत्यासह पोचला 
    मूर्ती भंगली मनात चित्रगुप्त हासला || ४ || 

    सावधान हो शिवा वैर्याची रात्र ही 
    काळ येतसे समीप साध तूच वेळ ही 
    देऊनी बळी अजास तोषवी भवानीला || ५ || 

    Wednesday, December 7, 2011

    What am I?

    What am I?

    Number five has a special significance in spirituality the five elements (Panchmahabhoota), the five bodies (Panchsharir), the five rules of the Buddha (Panchsheel), the five precepts of Aurveda (Panchkarma), etc.

    However there is one set of fives that denotes a unique spiritual phenomenon that very few are aware of the five qualities of the Self. Lot of significance has been attached to the questions Who am I and Why am I? But the question What am I? is often ignored. What is my inner core made up of? What are the qualities of the Self? What is at the essence of my being? What are the five core values of a human being? And the answer will be five qualities or values. These are creation, realization, satisfaction, devotion and discrimination. To make it simpler, you can substitute these five qualities with the verbs Expressing, Being, Enjoying, Loving and Knowing.



    Why only these? You can use an micro or macro approach and will arrive at the same set of five whatever approach you take. Macrocosmically, examine what is being human all about. What differentiates us from animals? Man is considered to be the highest manifestation. What makes him highly evolved are five things that only humans are capable of, not any other animal. Only man is endowed with higher abilities to create and express as manifested in art, to meditate and inquire as manifested in Self–Realization, to love and devote as opposed to merely lust, to be happy and blissful as manifested in laughter, to discriminate and know the difference between what is real and unreal as manifested in developed cognition and conscience. Microcosmically, when you meditate on Who am I and are established on the inner Self, you are left with only these five values. You experience creativity, peace, happiness, love and truth emanating from your inner core and reverberating in the universe. You do not even require enlightenment to experience it. Ask yourself whether at your core, aren’t the values of creativity, peace, happiness, love and truth that exist? Take any list of values in a value education class and you can distil them to these five, no more or no less.

    Thus both from a macro and micro point of view, you are left with these five essences. Let us examine each of them to understand the qualities of Self or the nature of Godhead:

    Creation (Abhivyakti) :  Creation is the physical manifestation of ideas and thoughts. At the core of the universe is creation. The Self in Rest created the universe, the Self in Action to know itself. Shiva created Shakti. Creation also denotes self-expression.

    Realization (Mouna) :  Why did creation take place? So that the Self can realize itself.  So that the silence can be realized. At the core of everything created is silence, peace. The purpose of human birth is to realize oneself. The body-mind has been given for the Self to realize itself. The body-mind can never realize the Self. Self realizes itself through the body-mind

    Enjoyment (Anand) :  The Self realizes itself to be established in bliss. A mere body-mind is enough for the Self to realize itself. But what is unique about humans is that the individual someone who thinks of himself as separate also gets created. And when the individual surrenders to the Self, bliss manifests. God created individuality to experience the happiness of coming back (realizing) to Himself. This happiness is possible only when there is forgetfulness, when there is separation. Thus the significance of the individual. Realization leads to bliss.

    Love (Prem) :  To realize oneself and be established in the Self, the body-mind has to surrender to the Self. You can call this as devotion (bhakti). Devotion arises out of duality. I am separate from God. The individual is separate from the Self. So now the individual surrenders to the Self through bhakti a higher form of love. Where the body-mind appreciates and is in amazement of the Self. Bhakti leads to realization. On realization, a higher form of love manifests. Love of the Self for its creation. Pure love. Love of the Truth for the Truth.

    Discrimination (Satya) :  On realization, you are stabilized on the truth. There is a clear distinction between what is real and what is unreal. Only knowing remains. Knowing of the truth. To attain realization too, discrimination of what is the truth and what is not the truth is critical. Only human beings can discriminate between real and unreal. There are only two paths to realization one is that of Surrendering (bhakti). The other is that of discrimination (vivek) where there is a constant enquiry of what is real, what is unreal.

    These five qualities shall emanate effortlessly from the one who is realized. Others can practice some simple steps that can enhance these five qualities in their life. Take up a vocation or a hobby where you are fully self-expressed where you do not have a sense of time as you create. Mediate to have glimpses of realization. Carry happy thoughts and take time to smell the flowers as you enjoy the process of whatever you do. Be open to the love that exists in relationships. And practice self-enquiry to discriminate between what is real and what is unreal.

    Open your eyes and watch how all nature, how all that you do is a manifestation of these qualities. How these are the core values. Marvel at the question, What am I?

    – Gems from SirShree

    Monday, July 4, 2011

    The Law of Karma demystified


    A discussion between Seekers and Master is reproduced below. The discussion throws light on a number of beliefs one may have about Karma.

    Seeker 1 :  Master, what exactly is the Law of Karma?
    Master :  Let us examine everyone’s beliefs here about Karma before we exactly come to the law of Karma. Let us suppose young Sam stole from his father. He stole 100 dollars worth of money from his father’s wallet. What according to you will happen as per law of Karma? What do each one of you think? Let us start with you – since you asked the question…

    Seeker 1 :  Well, I think if Sam stole from his father, when Sam grows up – his son will steal about the same amount of money from him.
    Master :  What about interest? (smiles)  J  What if he does not get married at all? What do others think?

    Seeker 2 :  Well, I believe that someone will steal back from him. It may be money, it may be ideas. It will be sometime or the other. But nature will pay back. And it may not be from a similar relationship. Nature will repay back through anybody.
    Seeker 3 :  I believe that something wrong will happen to him and God will square off. It is not necessary that someone will steal. But for every ‘debit’, there will be a ‘credit’ in some form or the other. Something bad will definitely happen to him.
    Master :  So, do you think there is ‘someone’ to square off? Is there a divine accountant who keeps track of every karma?

    Seeker 3 :  Yes, I believe so.
    Seeker 2 :  Maybe nature keeps track. That is the law. Like the law of attraction, the law of karma comes into operation and someone, somewhere keeps track.
    Seeker 4 :  I believe this is all humbug. Nobody keeps track. There is no impact of any karma. You steal and you enjoy the money. That’s it. Maybe you will get caught. Then you suffer. It is all practical. This whole thing about Karma is unscientific. So, I do not believe in Karma at all.
    Master :  Every answer here clarifies what beliefs you carry. Let us change the question. What if in the story – young Sam apologizes to his father the next day? He confesses and gives the money back. What do you think will then happen as per the law of Karma?

    Seeker 1 :  Someone will steal something from Sam when he grows up and that person will also confess to Sam.
    Seeker 2 :  I agree with this answer. Only thing is that it will not necessarily be when he grows up. It can be any time.
    Master :  So, now for something Sam has done – someone will be made to not only ‘steal’, but also confess. All to square one person’s karma off?

    Seeker 4 :  Exactly – that is why I believe this is all humbug. Sam steals – he feels unhappy. He has gotten the result. Sam confesses – he feels happy. That’s the result. No more, no less.
    Seeker 3 :  Well, if he confesses, then it is an altogether different thing. Then there is no impact of Karma. Also, I have a new idea. How ‘young’ Sam is also makes a difference. If Sam is a child, then it does not matter at all. There is no impact of Karma. But, If Sam does it knowingly – there is an impact. I have a Jewish friend. He was telling me that Jewism believes that when children reach their teens – then they become responsible for their Karma. Till then, all actions are their parents’ responsibility.
    Master :  Yes – the Jews celebrate the Bar Mitzvah for every child to signify this coming of age. Let us go back to the question and change the question further. What if Sam did not steal in the first place? What if he only thought about stealing? Is that Karma?

    Seeker 1 :  No, thinking is not Karma. “Doing” is Karma.
    Seeker 2 :  True. Karma means action. Thinking is not “action” in the truest sense.
    Seeker 3 :  I believe even a thought is Karma. But, the impact of the Karma will be lower. Like someone will think of stealing from Sam. That’s all the impact will be.
    Seeker 4 :  When there is no big ‘consequence’ of doing – there is nothing at all for thinking. Maybe, he thinks of stealing and the only consequence is that he feels guilty. Or then maybe he is a sadist and enjoys thinking about stealing. All this does not matter because there is nothing like the law of karma. Let us look at this scientifically. A thought is an electro-magnetic impulse. It is too much to think that every electro-magnetic impulse will have any consequence besides the impulse itself.
    Master :  (smiles)  J  All very good answers. Now, consider with an open mind what the Law of Karma is all about from a different perspective. Consider that the only consequence of an action is that a ‘tendency’ is formed. If Sam steals from his father – a tendency is formed in Sam to take shortcuts. The consequence or fruit of the Karma is that a pattern of taking shortcuts is formed in his subconscious mind. Or if this pattern is already there, the action reinforces the pattern. This is the only consequence. Automatically, from that pattern – Sam will attract things to his life where he will constantly seek easy shortcuts that may prove to be costly one day or the other. People will call this Karma.

    Seeker 4 :  So scientifically, the only thing that happens is that a pattern is formed in his subconscious mind.
    Master :  Yes. Let us understand this with an analogy. Imagine two pages are kept, one over the other, and you are given a pen in your hand. When you write something on the first page, the impressions of what is written on the first page get etched on to the second page too. A closer inspection of the second page will reveal such marks. This means that the deed was done on the first page, while subtle impressions got etched on the second page. If you run a brush dipped in colour on the second page, you will be able to see the subtle lines of impression.
    These impressions cause the same kind of writing next time which follows the previous impressions. In the beginning, when the man starts to write…such impressions are not there. But later these impressions become deeper. Now due to these impressions or habits, a tendency gets formed. Due to this tendency, anger manifests. In fact, man does not desire to get angry, but now this becomes a habit. Once a habit gets formed, man gets easily drawn towards that habit.

    Seeker 1 :  Yes. This makes sense. So, if I shout at someone today, the consequence of that Karma is that my anger pattern is becoming stronger.
    Master :  Yes. And your anger pattern was formed in the first place through accumulation of such tendencies caused by actions of anger. People unnecessarily imagine this to be some accountant keeping a count of such accumulation of Karma.

    Seeker 2 :  What you say resonates with me. So, if young Sam confesses to his father that he stole the money, another good tendency is forming in him which is to courageously own up for his actions.
    Seeker 3 :  Maybe, the pattern he is forming is that to first do the wrong thing and easily get off the hook by saying sorry.
    Master :  Patterns are formed based on what intention you do the action with. Let us understand the law of Karma with one more analogy. There is a boy who thinks of cheating in his exams. He intends to copy from his notes. What do you think will the impact of this Karma?

    Seeker 1 :  Has he made up his mind to definitely cheat in the exams?
    Master :  Let us assume he is still contemplating. He thinks about it and then puts off the idea sometimes owing to fear and sometimes owing to guilt that he is thinking of something wrong.

    Seeker 2 :  So, based on what I have understood from you so far, the consequence of this karma is that his pattern of cheating and lying will get reinforced by this thought.
    Master :  Yes. Even ‘thought’ is karma. And then one day, he ‘actually’ cheats. He actually ends up copying from his notes in the examination hall because he has been thinking of doing it in the past. So one consequence of his karma of ‘thinking of cheating’ is that his tendency gets reinforced and another consequence is that he may end up committing what he is thinking all about. So, now tell me what is the consequence of his ‘action’ of cheating in the examinations?

    Seeker 4 :  His subconscious mind announces inside, “I am a cheat. I cannot do things in a straight forward manner”.
    Master :  So, the tendency is reinforced more strongly. The thought of cheating the first time which be brushes off thinking that it is not the right thing to do is like drawing a line in the sky. No significant consequence. Just a fleeting thought. If he again and again thinks about it, it is akin to drawing a line on water. There are some ripples. If he actually ends up cheating the first time, it is akin to drawing a line on sand. The impression is deeper and the tendency is reinforced stronger. Some actions are so strong that they are akin to drawing a line on a rock with a hammer and chisel. The tendencies become extremely strong.

    Seeker 3 :  …And depending on how deep this tendency has become, as a consequence of this pattern, he may attract more incidents of cheating in his life. It is not that someone will cheat back from him.
    Master :  Correct. The possibility that someone will cheat him back increases. This is so because someone who ‘cheats’ ends up attracting the company of others who cheat. So, the chances are that he will be cheated himself. He increases ‘cheating’ consciousness in his life. He attracts things from lower level of consciousness. If someone is corrupt, he starts seeing corruption more than the normal person. He not only may end up doing more corruption, but may end up attracting corruption in his own life.

    Seeker 4 :  This is wonderful. This is scientific too. Thank you for this understanding.

    Friday, May 20, 2011

    Real Happiness !



    Seeker :  What is Real Happiness?
    Master :  Real Happiness is not that happiness which you get when you achieve something. The mind has cast a shadow over the real ‘you’, the nature of which is happiness. When the mind falls – then what is behind the mind – that Truth manifests. And when that happens, it is real happiness. Suppose you have an aim, a desire to achieve something or to own something. And when you actually achieve it – then the mind, that was thriving only on that desire – falls for some moments since the desire has been fulfilled. And in those few moments of no-mind, you experience emptiness and you call this as happiness or bliss. All happiness you have ever experienced is only because of the mind getting empty, because of the no mind state, because of the lifting of the shadow of the mind.

    But you get the notion that ‘because’ the target was completed – you got happiness. Because you got what you desired – you got happiness. Because of this false notion, desire for newer and more things increase. But, anything that gives you lots of happiness today, does not give you the same amount of happiness later. After some time, happiness diminishes. It ends. Real happiness, which is your nature, is shadowed by the mind. When that is experienced, it being your nature, is not dependant on external situations. This is “bright” happiness (Tej Anand) which never diminishes.

    Seeker :  What then is “Bright” Happiness?
    Master :  That bliss that is beyond happiness and sorrow… beyond polarities for which there is no opposite. To cite an example, the opposite of ‘success’ is ‘failure’. Similarly: hot – cold, up – down, love – hate etc. – these words are interrelated. But what is beyond both opposites is ‘bright’. What is beyond love and hate is ‘bright’ love. This is beyond happiness and grief. There is no opposite to “bright” happiness. When you come to know of that “one” then, you are liberated from dualism.

    Seeker :  Why is man unhappy?
    Master :  Because of double unhappiness.

    Seeker :  What is double unhappiness?
    Master :  You are troubled by something. The body is under pain – this is first unhappiness. But on that unhappiness the mind becomes unhappy, Why does this exist? Why me? Why not others? When would this pain go away? … Then the unhappiness of the body increases ten times over. The body was in pain. The body was curing it too. Nature on its own was curing the pain. But the thorn of the mind made it “my pain”, “my unhappiness”.

    Seeker :  Does this mean we should not be unhappy?
    Master :  This means unhappiness over unhappiness should not be there.

    Seeker :  What does this mean?
    Master :  This means that the comparing mind (contrast mind) that raises its head and defines the state of unhappiness shouldn’t be there.

    Seeker :  I didn’t understand…
    Master :  Understand it like this. You got angry. It does not trouble you as such. Children get angry and the very next second, they are peacefully playing. But you are thinking as to “Why did I anger?” Even after the incident has occurred, what is being thought over it for hours together… that gives you trouble. So you get angry over anger and this troubles the mind. The more your understanding increases, you are rid of this double unhappiness.

    Seeker :  That means unhappiness alone cannot trouble us?
    Master :  Absolutely correct.

    Seeker :  How is that?
    Master :  When unhappiness is not acceptable, then double unhappiness begins i.e. unhappiness over unhappiness as to Why I am unhappy? But when there is acceptance of this unhappiness, then unhappiness on that unhappiness doesn’t happen. Depression on depression doesn’t occur. And then this understanding will occur that, it is only “non-acceptance” that is unhappiness and only acceptance is happiness.