Life in Bangalore

           Solitude Source: Maria Popova Blog Adam Philips says: Fertile solitude is absolutely essential - not only for our creativity but for the basic fabric of our happiness. Solitude - is defined as the "time and space unburdened from external input and social strain" we need this solitude - to fully inhabit our life - which is the raw material of all art My words: solitude is the gap that i need to seek in the Chitta; i need to seek this solitude through the meditation (breathing rhythmically) to involve inner energy such solitude will do us more good - than the banalities of togetherness Authors Maria Popova Adam Philips        Mukund

         Solitude For we enjoy this the greatest of pleasures all the more when we are absent from one another Seneca is talking about solitude here. Solitude is about when we reflect; cherish ; that which happens in the absence of others why? because, in presence of friends, we get happy first, but then, we engage in fripperies, chit-chats, and small talk! spend time in solitude Contemplate, reflect and cherish Authors Seneca       

           Stillness You are at peace with yourself when no noise readies you when no word shakes you be it flattery or threat or din practice stillness through Yoga become unruffled due to external ripples YogaschittaVrttiNirodah Yoga is the restraint of Chitta Vrttis! Authors Seneca        Patanjali 

           Cease from anxiety The true husbandman will cease from anxiety,  as the squirrels manifest,no concern  whether the woods will bear chestnuts this year or not,  and finish the labor every day,  relinquishing all claims to the product of his fields, and sacrificing in his mind  not only to his first but his last fruits also Pg.88 Walden Thoreau Finish the labor every day -  give away all the claims - relinquish do not claim any entitlement to the fruits this is the karma-yoga -  you are entitled to the duty  - not to the outcomes; for to do the duty is in your control; for the outcomes are not in your control; if you realize this you shall cease from anxiety! Authors Henry David Thoreau       

           Crafting stories out of past events is very human impulse Crafting stories out of past events is a very human impulse - it is also dangerous and untrue Ryan Holiday pg. 109; ego is the enemy you don't fall into trap of your own story. Our mind is the biggest scriptwriter - screenplay writer. It creates binaries of all kinds:  fantasies - problem -  hero-villain :  victim: solider:  pathos : victory:  All kinds of emotions - yeah dont fall into it  Imagine a silver screen - flashing in your minds. its running movies with Your self as hero/heroine so don't gloat; or ruminate   - don't fall into stories of your own making.   don't fall into the melodrama Authors Ryan Holiday       

 Complete; Don't Compete I don't try to compete with anybody; I try to complete everybody; Eknath Eswaran; how to find happiness: pg 17 continuing on the formula of Joy = Give/Expect; let us discuss about expectations; the great expectations; and how I need to reduce that to zero; and not only that I need to  complement the expectations by giving;   Buddha says: " don't ask how much you can get, but how much you can give, in every way possible ; in kitchen ,in garden , in store, in office, everywhere" Eswaran says: as a result of completing others, and not competing, i don't feel any tension or fatigue" To Give is inside-out; you have it in your control; To expect is outside-in; you don't have any control; so don't expect; stop expecting; that is way to Joy! Authors Eknath Eswaran Buddha       

           Clear out of my way! Clear out of my way! everyone - I am coming! The Human Machine Kindness, Cheerfulness is rendered difficult for me. why? I expect that others shall clear out of my way but not everyone does I had to have expected that but even as I know in the corner of my mind that not everyone shall clear out I blame - I mean I groan -I make it difficult for myself so the habit then is this: I need to reflect on myself My difficulties are within myself rather than expecting others to clear out of my way let me clear the way for others! Authors Arnold Bennett       

           It is poise not Pose from the biography of William T Sherman (American general with Abraham Lincoln) There are 2 types of people - First, who rise to fame and achievement through their belief in themselves; and there is another kind - it is slow growth based on actual achievement. for the second type, success is a constant surprise - with a haunting sense of self-doubt, if it's not all a dream. in that doubt lies true modesty for the first group, belief in themselves - is dependent on Ego, which is in fact nothing. Shakespeare called it thus - "Frailty, thy name is Ego" my words: Ego is a scaffolding made of spaghetti; don't rely on it to build your life! Authors Ryan Holiday William t Sherman Shakespeare       

           Stoics would call it Sympatheica Stoics would call it Sympatheica - connectedness with cosmos pg.139: Ego is the enemy I am one in 7 Billion Earth is one tiny speck of Sun Sun is one tiny star among billions in Milky Way is one such galaxy among the millions of galaxies in Universe That is Infinity! I being this tiny speck - I have more go than I should have; let me do selfless work ; connect with others; give for sake of giving, even those who cannot do me favors; and connect with Nature - to feel oneness; Calmness, Serenity, Goodness! All I can attain by ego-crushing! Authors Ryan Holiday       

           Ego Ego is the only barrier between us and unity of life - between us and the lord within how to find happiness - pg.15  Eknath Eswaran Ego definition: A conscious seperation from everything ... Alcoholics Anonymous Ego is what creates the divide - it uses the concept of divide and conquer; creates the wedge between me and the world; ego segments and segments - like a marketing guru -  and conquers me and makes me unhappy in the whole process how then do I conquer ego? there is only one way - engage in self-less work; give, share: without expectations and without show-off give for sake of giving; more you do this - more you think unity; As Carl Jung says , only with ego reduction , you can shift your CG from ego to Self; from material plane to spiritual plane "The more the selfless work you do, without even a thankyou - smaller the ego becomes - zero expectations ; Joy =

         Check your ego Check your ego and medal at the door I have solidified ego - crush it Thick ego - dilute it diluted ego - vaporize it Become sublime - by vanishing the ego within - and reach the inner recesses of your spirit!

           remember not to retaliate remember not to retaliate in words or actions; eventually, you will find it impossible to even think of hurtful thoughts; Don't retaliate;  Shane Parrish says that "Tit-for-Tat" is not an effective strategy; only animals do that; I have this tendency - to give back nicely - I fall into this trap of bi-polar attitude: my way-high-way;victory- defeat; enforcing  self-will; on being right; little do I realize that it results only in alienation; what is the purpose of victory when it creates the divide? The biggest obstacle I think is oneself; I need to get myself out of self-will; out of my own way; there is a big boulder on my journey to Self; that is myself; I need to reduce my self-will and what shines forth then is love ; instead of causing hurt, my presence should be to help and heal! Authors Eknath Eswara

           True friend what is a definition of a true friend? one who makes himself an advantage to his friend; not the one who tries to take advantage of his friend; if you are saying you are a true friend to someone put the above test for yourself! Authors Seneca       

           perplexing paradox Its a perplexing paradox; so long we try to make ourselves happy, life places obstacles in our path; the moment we turn away from ourselves to make others happy, our troubles begin to melt away, joy comes working for us; Gandhi says : "My life is an indivisible whole; I am trying to reduce myself to a zero" Forget yourself; focus on others; what I can give others; Time and Energy to help others; I have this problem of creating a universe around myself! I need to remind myself of this : I am one in 7 Billion people on Earth Earth is one tiny speck of solar system Sun is one tiny star among billions in Milky Way The Milky way is one such galaxy among the millions of galaxies in the Universe That is Infinity! Then who am I? I am just a tiny speck why am I having this ego? why cannot I make this world a better place by helping others?

           For those that things that fortune holds sway For those that things that fortune holds sway are : chattels, money, passion, positions; they are weak; stifling, prone to perish and of uncertain future; Seneca says, power, position, prosperity are all mortal, shifting , wavering, and of uncertain future; whereas works of virtue are free and unsubdued; virtues rise above fortune when it treats you kindly virtues rise above adversity when it weighs you down virtue overwhelms all pains, annoyances, and wrongs

           Fortune has given; Fortune has taken away Be grateful for what you possess today. Count your blessings - add them up Position, Money, Title, Roles, Relations; Hold them lightly and not tightly Thank all the people who gave it for you - parents, in-laws, Bosses, Peers, Team members and Relatives; I thank each one of them for making me successful Having thanked each one of them including the God Hold the possessions lightly, not tightly All these external thingies are fripperies -  they are outside you and can be taken away;  so hold them light; like as if holding cotton wool in the palm; for they are mere externals; Fortune has given them to you; Fortune can take them away as well! Farewell! Authors Seneca       

           Be an Accountant! Look at what they call Active Life! Look at the day of Active Men and Women! All-day along they contrive and consult how to wring their profit out of Food stock, Farm plots, and the like But what I call an active life is this Learn what the administration of the world is! what place being endowed with reason holds therein! To consider what you are yourself! what is Good and what is evil in your Today! What you gave today and what you took today! Rather than being "bean-counter" ,  counting profits - day after day, -  be an accountant of the  good and evil; Give and take" Authors Epictetus       

           The arc of the moral universe The arc of the moral universe might not be so different from that of the stem bent with bluebells tolling their vernal reminder that change comes in cycles. Life goes on in cycles - cycles as in physics ; every arc is but a segment of a circle. draw your life cycle - with a steady hand - as we try widening our circles of compassion - without assurance of immediate results - or expectations; give it away without expectations; make that impact o in the universe with one positive push - with zero expectations ; that will lead to peace of mind - care - quality- Joy; And if success can be called anything It is this! It is this! It is this! Authors Maria Popova       

           Enrich the lives of others We are all sent into life for one task: to enrich the lives of others anyone who takes from life without giving, says Bhagavad Gita, is a Thief Spend your time, energy, your resources in giving more and still more if you wish for a true lifetime o happiness, dissolve your ego in the service of others KarmaSutras: Debhashis Chatterjee I is Illness; We  is wellness says Dr.B.M.Hegde  givers grow to the top by social capital; social capital * intellectual capital = reputation capital; the opposite of happiness is not sadness; it is selfishness; you keep feathering your own nest - you are not going to be happy in Life! when I forget myself in the happiness of those around me, I glow with life and beauty; when I begin to brood on myself, to think only about my likes and dislikes and follow my self-will, I deteriorate - physically mentally intellectually, and

 You imagine to be a Champion at Olympics Go ahead. Yeah! But wait! Have you weighed the considerations? To live by rules and Submit to diet Abstain from dainty foods Exercise your body at unearthly hours, in heat or cold! Drink nothing but water! Practice with face pressed to the ground Sprain the ankle, Gulp the yellow sand and still, lose the victory by a mere whisker In a word, you Sacrifice! If your desire still holds - try the wrestler's life! Else never merely desire! Like the kid in the candy store, wanting everything, but none with your whole soul! Weigh the gain, Count the cost with due consideration and make a thoughtful choice If you will, and then lay your hand You may gain Freedom, Tranquility, and Serenity Worthy of an Olympic Champion Playing this Infinite Game called Life! (Adapted from the book:Six Pack Stoic: Golden Sayings of Epictetus)     

           Daily meditation Circumstances of this day are my raw material It is the business of my brain to make use of this material My brain is in its box - for that sole purpose! Not Tomorrow! Not Next year! Not when I have made my fortune! Not when my backache is cured! Not when my spouse has returned to senses! Not when I get that raise! Not when my kid starts listening to me! But Today exactly! I need to face the facts of the Today Which in my degeneracy I termed as Anxieties, Nuisances & Impediments I need to regard them as the raw material From which my brain has to weave A tissue of life that is comely! I need to make the most of Today For Obstacle is the Way!     

           Fight for Truth about Trivia Arnold Bennett I get into a tangle in the fight for truth - about Trivia - as if I am the self-appointed messiah - chosen to spread Truth in this World-  now if it's about the real Truth its good-  but rather i get into a mess with others  about Trivia- that I get into the arguments My way or High way ! now allow me to coach myself -  I need to meditate on below words  every day! "Truth is destructible The truth will be out Truth is never in a Hurry There is nothing cosmic in Truth about Trivia If I am right, when the truth is out, My reputation will be consolidated If I am wrong,then its better for me that I have not been too positive I better realize that I am not the sole -custodian of great truth I was not brought out into the world to be a safe-deposit of Truth I am not the President of the Association for propagation of truth" I need to m

  Stoicism's first principle goes like this : Stimulus => Judgment/Opinion=> Reaction In yoga philosophy, they call the judgment/opinion as Vrtti - the chatter-it is the perturbations of manas ( mind ) , buddhi ( intellect )  , ahamkara ( ego ) , and Chitta (shuttle that links mind to memory); it is the Vrtti ( Chatter ) that leads to the mental tone; Vrtti is of 5 types: Right Knowledge of Reality False knowledge of Reality Imagination (No reality at all ) Memory (Impressions of indriyas -senses on Manas ) Sleep In this post, I am going to focus on Vrtti called Sleep Sleep throws me into a disturbance; Why?  While the body gets to rest, my mental tone is disturbed; So the first thing I need to do in the morning is to Tone it up! through Practice  Like body needs to be done through physical exercise, I need to tone my mind through the right notes by Reading inspirational books Books Like - Meditations by Marcus

  The Human Machine - Arnold Bennett - Loc 418 A day can be the banalest thing that can happen It comes seven days a week 52 weeks per year - over the lifetime of an individual On the other hand, the day can be the most elixir thing of life A day can be the microcosm of life - summer, winter, autumn and spring The key challenge I face is - after a night's sleep of rest- how to face the day? with all its encumbrances So the primary purpose for me should be to deal with the daily friction and face the day confidently, quietly - through what i call "lubrication" The chief cause of the friction is due to my attitude My attitude of blame -due to judgment/opinion and my mind starts chattering - mental tone - and when the situation pops - it emerges as a vocal tone. friction. And the point is - " why should you not school your mental tone daily? that is the only lubrication ; So that

           When I am angry Arnold Bennett - The Human Machine When I am angry, I need to tell myself : I am making a donkey of myself Understand? Yes a Preposterous Donkey I am behaving like an infant I look like a fool in front of others I am like an arrant ass Pitiable object of contempt Laughable by others in secret A donkey, whose reasoning has been put out by the fire called Instinct!

           Praise that in man which is his own Seneca - Pg 60: Letters from a Stoic A retinue of comely slaves large farm, Huge Income Beautiful House None within man himself None his own And can be snatched away None of them her peculiar property So what is peculiar? It is soul and reason brought to perfection is your own and to live in accordance with Nature is Salvation!

           Working with others I don't like that man. I must get to know him better. Abraham Lincoln I need to deal with them - one by one - the individual; Seek by a deliberate effort of imagination and Reasoning To understand them ; Why do they act the way they do What their difficulties are and How the friction can be avoided I need to do this morning after morning And as I do this, I shall lose the preposterous habit of blaming others! Arnold Bennett: The Human Machine: Loc 405

           Words should be scattered like Seed; Words should be scattered like Seed; once it finds the favorable ground,Reason then would spring like a Tree; Letters from a Stoic; Seneca - Pg.56 I am reminded of the LinkedIn post titled  "Think like a Farmer" A farmer chooses the right crop for the Soil; Irrigates the Soil fertilizes the Soil removes Weeds Does not shout at Crops Knows that the Weather is beyond control And work with it Develop a favorable mind - to assimilate the seeds of thought Work every day to develop a favorable mind Cultivate the Mind And strengthen the reason everyday Manovriksham - as they call in Sanskrit - Mindtree Be a Farmer!

           Tennis To win the Championship, you need to win matches! To win the Match, you need to win the sets! To win the Set, you need to win the Games To win the Game, you need to win the Points To win the Point, you need a Winner To hit a Winner, you need to focus in the Present And thats the only thing I can control "I am motivated by History. But also, i am aware that it can put a lot of expectations on my shoulder. I just want to focus on the Basics" Novak Djokovic - before the championship final of US open of 2021 - on verge of creating the history of grand-slam- Djokovic lost the US Open final -2021 and failed to create history of Grans-slam! maybe the pressue of expectations! Don't allow the expectations to get ahead of you!  

           Be in the Present "When you are in the field, you don't realize what has been done before. How many overs you have bowled - because the important thing is to do the Job for the Team" - Jasprit Bumrah "That's why I work hard in the Gym Work hard on my Diet Work hard on everything that I can try and control" A great message : Work hard on things i can control Work doubly hard on things I can control Being in the Present That's all I can do! Authors Jasprit Bumrah       

         On Fear What must be endured once, Fear causes us to endure twice or many more times, spoiling the enjoyment of the Present" Seneca: Pg.234 Seneca says : "We are wretched before wretchedness begins Anxious before losses occur Losing sight of Present" Fear is an opinion of what is to come And that opinion must be tested for facts "For we should not mistake - a dusted cloud of stampeding cattle for the Enemy's cavalry And for some reason, it is the false reports that disturb us the most " Seneca

           On living "Is the eternity of life in the drags or is it the latest and purest part of all?" Seneca answers it : Old age is : purest at the end, if and only if, the mind is unimpaired, senses sound, and provide support to the spirit. If mind, body, and soul are not used for service, why should one not free the struggling soul? A man performing service - is lengthening his life A man self-serving - is lengthening his death Authors Seneca       

JOURNEY is the Deal Man's soul is haunted by feeling that as years slip-by, and slip--by and slip-by, they have not been able to get their lives into proper working Order Arnold Bennett: How to live on 24 hours a day A.B. " If we analyze the haunted feeling, it is permanently due to the uneasiness, of expectations., of looking forward, of aspirations and followed by the feat of not doing much about it" For ex., a man wants to go to Mecca - he starts the Journey - he may drown before Port Said- or shall perish ingloriously on the coast of the Red Sea - and his desire may remain eternally frustrated. But, he will not be tormented in the same way as the man who also desired to reach Mecca - but never leaves his home" So the message i am getting is this - " Start " the journey-towards a fruitful purpose - you need not worry about reaching the destination - but the fact t

  Play The infinite game Simon Sinek...YouTube Video Are you playing the finite game or the Infinite game -Mukund? In a finite game, players stay on - game is finished; Winners take all and Losers; In Infinite game, Game goes on Players are finished No winners and losers Motto is to keep the game continuing Play the infinite game Mukund- which is the game with yourself Did you improve today? If so in what sense? Contemplate and Reflect each day, the day's hunt So how do you compete with yourself Get the purpose My Purpose : To care and have intent about everything I do, and teach others to be as awesome as they can be I need to write my purpose everyday Seneca said to me today - Count how many ambitions you have attained - if you see many ahead of you -Gap- think how many are behind you - Gain " Play the infinite game - if you do - win or lose- you carry on each day - ene

  Time is a great deal more than Money Loc 82 : How to live 24 hours a day...Arnold Bennett Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything - It is a great deal more than Money Time Money No one can take your Time Money can be lost or stolen Waste it and cannot be refilled Waste Money and you may regain You cannot borrow or loan Can borrow Money or Loan With more time you can gain more money WIth more Money you cannot gain more Time Time is subtle

  The most powerful story in the world is the one you tell yourself @ShaneParrish My mind is a script writer ; It creates plots out of nothing - It has a protagonist (usually myself , i double up as Producer) Antagonist (Others and Circumstances -  Problems- Solutions- Approach-  My minds is a fertile field of drama and theatrics Full of video and audio in my mind screen Running the shows continuously through the day Continuing as dreams even in the night! Without intermission! All these happening between in grey matter between my 2 ears and between the neck and head! I rather need to watch for the stories that run in my mind on autopilot mode I need to train my brain - 30 minutes at least each day To reason out the stories And tell myself the right stories!

  Work-life balance is clear - if we call it what it really is : Neglect avoidance @Evan Laponte lets demystify Work-Life : Work is something you do to : pay your bills; Work = play + Pay now what is life : Life is : you and Family; Health Interests What are you neglecting on this above basket? Authors Evan Laponte

  Tempus Ager Meus: Time is my estate pg.28 : the practicing stoic treat time as the only estate : you possess; cultivate it productively; weed out the noxious elements; To lose cash is alarming to all; To lose time is alarming to few; Authors Girolamo Cardano

  Those who worry about future are failing to profit from the Present Seneca - Letters from a Stoic Much of the pain is due to the projecting life into forward; and that induce fear and anxiety - instead why dont you profit from the present? Fear and hope are like lock chain - they go in lock-step with each other; Arnold Bennett : says this : we are like the Italian donkeys - whose pace may be hurried by fixing a stick on their heads with stack of hay at end of it; Hay is always in front of the donkey ; and they keep trying to get at it; we go on living like the donkey, ad interim; until at last we die; What we call business is purely above : chasing incentives : the next year and the next quarter : i am a donkey; the italian donkey; whatever sugarcoating i can put on ; i am just that; As Thoreau calls it : "Its a fool's life , having coming to the end of life, we realize that we have no

  Errors in Valuation We Overvalue Money Undervalue Time Overvalue Material goods Undervalue Intangibles Overvalue self Undervalue Others Overvalue Past/Future Undervalue Present Overvalue Ambitions Undervalue Detachment Overvalue Bravado Undervalue Restraint Overvalue what others have Undervalue What we have; Authors Ward Farnsworth

  Write in Long form When stressed out , write in the long-form Today on , Aug 3rd 2021, i woke up with a bit of stress- about a project; because the new scopes are emerging day by day and very short scope of work with extreme urgency; so what i did was to pick a piece of paper and wrote a list of things to do - thoughts circling my mind. I always knew this - but in the moments of stress - my mind forgets; and i used to think that i need to type this in computer - and for that i need to crank my computer up etc., so the alternative is to write on a notebook in the longform; have a notebook : or 2 notebooks : problem notebook ; solution notebook; and start putting the thoguhts on the notebook - write in the long form; handwriting is an issue- as is scribbled - my daughter calls it Gibberish!!! - but i can improve; Authors mukund

  Hasten to find yourself first Seneca Pg.53 - letters from a stoic I need to find the person i want to become ; difference between the master and apprentice is that , master knew very early in life what to do and what to become! masters (1%) stretch their thoughts to the level that - they know the person they want to become they desire the same thing everyday On the other hand, apprentices (99%) keep tossing here and there ; heading in various directions; in the direction of the wind; As Buckminsrer Fuller alludes to, Apprentice (apprachattais in Vadivelu language (😁) do not have the rudder(airplane)  to guide themselves and leverage the wind and water to better effect Seneca says to find yourself first before finding the Money / profession; Person you become is more important than the Position, Place , Prosperity you may attain! so first find yourself! if you are constantly dissatisfied with y

  But what is your opinion? Seneca : Letters from a Stoic : Pg.51 This is what Zeno said that is what Socrates said, This is what the opinion of Cleanthes but what have you yourself said? I am asking you, - but what is your opinion? How long shall you march under another's orders? Take command, utter some words that posterity shall remember Daring to put to practice ,what you are preaching! Authors Seneca

  What a curious man! Half-monk and Half-race track operator! Aldous Huxley on Alan Watts this is continuing on the topic of relaxed-active phase; I am thinking of this 2X2 model in which i need to operate! I approach any new week or activity with anxiety; either being passive or being active - but anxious of Tomorrow; rather i need to move into this relaxed -active phase relaxed as Monk - but active as a Race track driver I remember the book titled -" Go slow to Grow fast" Brent R Tilson Brent says " A colleague of mine races Porsches : he gives the image of the Racer; If you want to win, you need to know how to slow down as much as how to speed up. How you enter and exit a corner will have an enormous impact on your performance of the straightway.  you have to think 2 cars ahead and not what the guy in front of you is doing. And you cant do that unless your mind is not to

  Write! thats the only way you can reveal your Self to yourself! Seneca pg.57 Letters from a Stoic Write more than you Speak! For writing reveals real traces, real evidences of an absent friend that is yourself! Write! thats the only way you can reveal your Self to yourself! Authors Seneca

  Seneca : Letters from a Stoic : pg.54 Regulate your character such that Spirit within feels neither loss nor gain remains same, no matter how things fall out A spirit like that , if heaped with worldly goods rises supreme to it A spirit like that, if chance has stripped them of wealth is not impaired Seneca "renew thyself eachday" An engraving found in bathtub of King Thich NhatThang The above verses of Seneca are maybe for an expert Yogi - but i can attempt it as a practitioner- As Ward Farnsworth asks in the book, The Practicing Stoic - "Are you an expert? " No i am a practitioner; I can be a practitioner in -regulating my character , spirit every day using the PIES model Physical - Walking Intellectual - Learning Emotional - Caring Spiritual - Sharing I need to have a system of habits that helps me accomplish above Regulate my character everyday! day after day!