Ego!
@Kunal Shah
Founder: CRED, Freecharge
Rejection is taken personally by those who have
poor self-awareness and operating from Ego
As the Ego subsides and self-awareness increases
persuasion as a skill grows!
My notes:
What is your operating system (OS)?
Ego or Self-awareness?
If its Ego - you will suffer and break-down
If it's self-awareness - you will suffer - but be resilient and Anti-fragile!
the right mental models then become the operating system
and when the situation arises - the right behavior is applied!
Ridicule - Face it!!!
By Kunal Shah
Founder: CRED
As a founder, you are always going to be ridiculed -
no matter what you do-
Be it failing in raising capital-
or trying ideas - or failing to make the company last-
or even after exiting the company - and creating
great outcomes -for your team and investors
But you'll notice a trend-
all those who laugh at you - would be
someone who achieved lesser than you
Ridicule is their way of finding the balance-
Empathize with them and don't get shaken
you'11 never see ridicule from someone who has
achieved more than you-
as they know truly what it takes-
If you don't develop thickskin, you won't last much
Leo Tolstoy:
If you care too much about being praised (or ridicule)
in the end, you will not accomplish anything serious !!!
Let the judgment of Others be the consequences of your deeds - not the purpose !!!
Reinvent the Wheel
To truly understand and conquer the obstacles before me, I must rely on my own intuition and tackle the ambiguities head-on. This may seem like I'm reinventing the wheel, but it's a necessary step in achieving clarity.
To achieve this clarity, I must first engage my conscious mind by conducting thorough research and organizing my ideas through extensive writing.
Then, I must step away from my work and allow my subconscious to take over, whether by taking a long walk or engaging in creative hobbies. By allowing my mind to wander and my subconscious to take control, I can unlock a deeper level of understanding and attain the answers I seek.
And once I did both of above, then all I can do is await the telephone call from the subconscious! that puts it all together!
Instead of Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V , I need not be afraid to reinvent the wheel!
Research. Plan. Write. Pause. Reflect. Edit. Iterate. Trust the process. !!!
What is Spirituality?
What is Spirituality?
Alan Lightman - Maria Popova Blog
A common feature of all aspects of spirituality is
- A loss of self
- A letting go
- A willingness to embrace something outside of ourselves
- A willingness to listen rather than talk
- A recognition that we are small and the cosmos is large!!!
Morning Work
Morning Work
Marcus Aurelius Pg.22 : Meditations
In the morning, when you rise unwillingly
Let this thought be present -
I am rising to the work of a Human Being
Why then am I dissatisfied If I am going to do
the things for which I exist and for which
I was brought into the World!
Have I been made for this , to lie in the Bed clothes,
and keep myself warm? - you ask - (but) this is more pleasant!
Do you then exist to take pleasure - and not action or exertion -
Dont you see little plants, birds, Ants, Spiders and Bees
Working together - to put in order the part of the Universe they are assigned with!
My Notes:
In the Universe, Entroop/disorder is increasing always
I need to expend my Energy to create an Order!
Fight Entropy with Energy!
How to practice Craft
You learn to write by writing... R K Narayan
Famous Indian Author
For trade, you have to put in the hours to create the craft-
"I thought myself like the Jazz musician; someone who practices and practices to be able to invent and make his art look effortless and graceful!
I was always conscious of the constructed aspect of the writing process - and that art appears natural and elegant only as a result of the constant practice"
David Perrell:
"Paradox of Writing": Great Writing looks effortless - but because the ideas are so clear, casual readers don't appreciate how much time it took to refine them"
The paradox of Creativity: Your work is done when it looks so simple that the consumer thinks they could have done it - which means they wont appreciate how hard you worked
Preaching and Practice
Discourses of Epictetus
Pg.154 : Stoic 6 Pack
It is one thing to lay up
Bread and wine in the storehouse
And another thing to eat , That which is
Digested, Distributed to become
Sinews, Flesh, Bones, Blood, Healthy Color, Healthy breath
Reading tomes is just like
storing of Bread – a mere show-off
Practicing them
is what promises Energy and Vitality
Put into Practice
Stoic 6 Pack ; pg.153
Discourses of Epictetus
A flute, lyre, Horse, and Dog
Are preserved when they keep their promise
A (wo)man also in like manner is preserved
By delivering on their promise
Each (wo)man is improved and preserved
By corresponding acts
Carpenter by Carpentry, Grammarian by acts of grammar
Modest action preserves modest (wo)man
Fidelity preserves the faithful (wo)man
So be not satisfied with Learning only
Add your practice to it!
Put into practice the right opinion
Discourse alone is not enough
Decision making framework
By Matt McConaughey
Your 'No' should be Quick
But give yourself 2 weeks to say 'Yes'
The subtle eats the gross
Commentary by Michael Nagler
Behind everything we perceive
Is the series of causes that brought it into existence
At the heart of any apparently seperate thing
Lurks its essence - its Rasa
Literally 'sap' - that brought the thing into being!!!
When we see the essence, the thing itself has served its purpose
"The subtle eats the gross" - says the Upanishads
The 'rasa' of anything is subtler than it is;
It is its cause; its explanation;
And key to the thing's significance
It is more real- more long- lasting and
next step closer to the ultimate reality
Beyond the knower and the known!
My notes:
Look for the Subtle;
Look for the 'Why'
Hear the 'Unsaid'
Observe for 'Unseen'
Feel the 'hidden'
Who created the Universe?
The Prashna Upanishad
Question 1:
Disciple Kabandhi : Who created the Universe?
Guru Pippalada :
The Lord meditated and brought forth Prana with Rayi
The giver of Name and Form
Male and Female
So that they would bring forth innumerable creatures!
My Notes:
Prana is the prime mover of consciousness
Consciousness interspersed with matter gives different form and name
The Breath of Life
Prashna Upanishad
The Upanishads - by Eknath Eswaran
Prana is one of those precise but broad-ranging terms
in the lexicon of Vedanta;
We can call Prana, the technical term for Energy
which fuels evolution
powers the vital processes in all forms of life
and ultimately becomes thoughts and desires in the mind
where it becomes most readily available for us to conserve or redirect!
My Notes:
Pranayama : comes probably from Prana + Niyama (Breathing + practice) to channelize energy!
Primary Polarity
Prashna Upanishad
The Upanishads - by Eknath Eswaran
The primary polarity is - Prana and Rayi
roughly the consciousness and matter
Our real self is closer to Energy or Consciousness (Prana)
than to a form or name (Rayi)
Prana is prior to and has given rise to "name and form" (nama-rupa)
the equivalent of time and space-
that sets limits around what the mind can grasp!
My Notes:
The form is temporary, but class is permanent!
Anything that has form - is limited by time and space
Entropy would act over!
only the formless is class apart constituting pure energy!
5 Sheaths
Imagine the Human-being as Self
encased in 5 Wrappings like a Russian Doll
Starting from the (outer-most)
- Material Body (energized by Food) - Physical Sheath
- Next is vitality (Prana) - Vital Sheath
- Next the Mind (Manas) - Mental Sheath
- Next the Intuition (Buddhi) - Wisdom Sheath
- and Finally Self! (Joy!) - Bliss!!! (Innermost)
My note:
The answer for Who am 'I': rests here in Prana Upanishad
Can you peel the onion layers of sheaths above to discover your true Self?
How do you do that?
That's what the Upanishads provide you with the answers!!!
4 states of consciousness
Mandukya Upanishad
Vaishvanara - waking state
one lives with all senses turned outward
Aware only of the external world!!!
Taijasa- Dreaming state
Senses turned inward
One enacts impressions of past deeds and present desires
Prajna - state of deep sleep
One neither dreams nor sleeps, no mind,
no separateness -But sleeper not conscious of this!
Turiya - super-conscious state
Neither inward nor outward
Beyond senses and intellect ,
In which there is none other than the Lord!
He is the Supreme goal of life!
In Aum (commonly chanted as Om)
A stands for Vaishvanara
U stands for Taijasa
M stands Prajna
Turiya stands at the end of AUM !!!
Mechanism and The Super-mechanic
Isha Upanishad sent a message deeply into Gandhijis consciousness-
About acting without attachment to the results!!!
Victory of God over evil is guaranteed-
but not by the doer!!!
We cannot win that victory, but we can make ourselves, Instruments of it, precisely not by thinking ourselves as the doers
But my making ourselves zero
We address not the ultimate doer of any action
Including the act of knowing:
It is the power of brahman that makes us think
Therefore use the power to meditate on the Brahman
This truth is all the seeker needs to discover!!!
My note:
Attachment comes only when you think yourself as the doer and not the instrument!!!
You are not the mechanic but the mechanism!!!
4 states of conciousness
Mandukya Upanishad
Consciousness and its phases by Michael Nagler
There are 4 states of consciousness:
Waking state, dreaming sleep, dreamless sleep, and finally an indescribable state, Turiya
In Turiya, the sense of 'I' is temporarily suspended.
Surprisingly, the Upanishad tells us that wet enyart this state regularly
If only were could be aware of it!
Every night we're are like someone ,Unknowingly walking back and forth over a buried treasure...chandogya Upanishad VIII 3.2
so near and yet so far!
My note:
Suspend your ego even if temporarily!
Dont think of overcoming ego
Try to suspend it even if temporarily!!!
Iterate
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth ...Mike Tyson
Ryan Holiday , Blog Post - Lessons from Leaders
- Les Snead - Los Angeles Ram => Have Panic Rules - Otherwise you are liable to make panic decisions
- Kate Courtney - Olympic Mountain Biker - Do you want to win this workout? or Do you want to win the Race? meaning do you want to win the battle? or the war? .
- A J Daulerio : When panic attack happens => Do something => Help someone / MeditateWrite a Journal!
- Ryan Lavarnway : Professional Baseball Player : Great Effort! bad results - Dont worry - that's a win!
Practical Immortality
Mandukya Upanishad
Faces of God - pg.194 : The Upanishads ...By Eknath Eswaran
They have attained the summit of Wisdom
By the steep path of renunciation
they have attained Immortality
And are united with Lord of Love
When they leave the body,
the vital force returns to the cosmic womb,
but their work becomes a beneficial force in Life
To bring others together in the Self!!!
What you consume is what you become
What you consume is what you become
-Frigate Founder Thamizinian
Ah my dear friend, what we consume is what we become,
in body and in spirit.
If we choose to partake of the Energizer drink, let it be one that uplifts us not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.
And let us be wary of the thoughts we consume, for they have the power to shape our very being. Harmful and malicious thoughts must be avoided, replaced instead with thoughts of humility, grace, and magnanimity, for these are the thoughts that lead us towards abundance and positivity.
May we filter out the negativity and embrace the positive, my dear friend, and in doing so,
create a life that is both fulfilling and joyful.
On Articulation
Taittiriya Upanishad
Let us learn the art of articulation
That calls for
Knowledge of letters, accent,
Measure, emphasis, sequence and rhythm.
Actor and Director
I claim credit for nothing.
Everything is determined,
The beginning as well as the end,
By forces over which were have no control.
It Is determined for these insect
As well as the star.
Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust,
we all dance to an invisible tune,
Intoned in the distance by a mysterious player.
Albert Einstein
My notes:
Mathematician Ramanujam : I am merely a scribe.
Music composer: Ilayaraja : musical notes just flow to me
Shakespeare: all the world is a stage!!!
We are mere tools;We are all merely actors !!!
Director is someone else!!!
2 Principles
CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD
The universe is founded on two principles
Rita - law, order or regularity,
Without it no moral outer scientific discovery
Would be possible;
Yajna- the sacrifice
The universe- they tell runs on renunciation
Sacrifices of personal gain for something higher
If Rita is the moral law
Yajna is the moral response,
To Live in accordance with the law!!!
Desire and reasoning
A world led by desire:
Sense organs => projects object to Mind faculty=>projects to=> intellect (buddhi) => discriminates pain or pleasure => projects to ego =>
Ego classifies 'I' =>Ego bloated => You act!!!!
A world led by reasoning:
You intuit => Ego overcomes 'I'=>
buddhi overcomes pleasure or pain=>
Mind focused on one thing=>
Senses subservient to mind=>
You act!!!
Body and Mind - Analogy to Horse drawn chariot
Katha Upanishad
When a person lacks discrimination - Charioteer
The mind is indisciplined- reins are loose
That senses run hither and thither - like 5 wild horses
He reaches not the journey's end
Wandering from death to death
When a person had discrimination
The mind Is one-pointed
Senses obey like trained horses!
He reaches the journey's end-
The Pure state of immortality!!!
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