What's common to the MEDIA, POLITICIANS and EKTA KAPOOR? :-)

Some of my friends argue (from lack of anything valuable to contribute to conversation) ...why does ART OF LIVING charge money for the courses?


I gently remind them about how much they have invested (money + time + energy) in their graduation, and how much returns and satisfaction quotient they are reaping today. And the ridiculous disproportion in Investment versus Returns. :-)


And they immediately know that all this is because of the lack of spiritual education so far...


The greatest point to remember is that, "spiritual education" which is the most important aspect of education is often neglected...results are obvious to one and all, and I needn't elucidate that.


Oh, btw spiritual education broadly means "knowledge of self, knowledge about mind, balanced lifestyle with a holistic combination of prosperity"...in fact all spiritual people are prosperous-- in wealth, in thoughts and in magnanimity of attitude.


"Anything that helps you become unconditionally happy and loving is what is called spirituality." ~ Sri Sri


Something I came across recently...and feel I must share with you...


"The idea that all spiritual education should be free, or the notion that spiritual training was free in ancient India is a fallacy. Spirituality is also an education and all education needs to be paid for. Those who know their history know that people in Vedic times had to “invest” far more to get a spiritual education than we do today!

The concept of ''Dakshina'' is from the ancient Vedic times.

The vow of poverty is a concept alien to our land. Here, the primordial Guru, Lord Narayana is wedded to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Material progress goes hand in hand with spiritual growth. There are some pseudo intellectuals and historians who...praise only the dead and abuse the living."

Aptly captured here...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6032081.cms


WHAT IS THE MEDIA DOING?


Silly goofy media...

sensationalizes a bullet and not the incredible work done by AOL in more than 165 countries in just 27 years!

politicians are the outdated PJ nowadays...and media is the new joke of the day.

Remember the last time, the media sensationalized that the commisioner's dog has run away....yes we all remember that !

But remember any time that AOL was highlighted for completely transforming Asia's largest slum...or creating a model village (in Maharashtra:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.it.iitb.ac.in/~gumma/inspire/Kapshi.doc) in the history of the world....or Sudarshan Kriya curing thousands of patients from migraine/asthma/depression/homicidal tendencies/Cancer....or how AOL volunteers are still working in tsunami zones and Naxal-torn jungles of Chattisgarh ??

No the media wont portray that...because the media is the new PJ of the planet.


Politicians and media seem to have become the new series of Ekta Kapoor package in real life :-)




Oh, btw...the donations paid for the AOL courses are utilized in thousands of service projects across the world...from disaster relief to rural women empowerment....from free children education to saving the environment.

http://www.artofliving.org/

I'm sure some of you will appreciate this, and invest in your own health (physical, emotional, mental) through the incredibly simple and powerful ART OF LIVING courses (my personal favorite:  http://yesplusevents.org/) , and at the same time, contribute to the revolutionary service activities happening through the Art of Living.

Its only one family...we call it a ONE WORLD FAMILY (Vasudhaeva Kutumbakam!)

"Do not sell your smile, even if the whole world is offered in return for it." ~Sri Sri

YES!+ Program

What keeps NASA astronauts and Asia’s best cardiologist stress-free?

How do Google employees at PaoAlto balance life and work?

What gives the world’s best snooker player an additional edge over competition?

Do I have to struggle to become successful in life?

Do I have the ability to handle any situation in life…with a smile?

Welcome to YES!+ Program and Upgrade your life skills.

YES!+ stands for Youth Empowerment and Skills Workshop for students and working professionals between the 18 to 30 age group. It’s a one of a kind, life skills workshop which is specially designed to give deep relaxation and easy-to-practice, practical tools to lead life with success.

·                  Do my relationships handle me?

           For a change let me learn to handle my relationships.

·                  How can I give 100 per cent to life in the right direction?

·                  How to cultivate intelligence in my life without losing my innocence?

·                  Take a break from the madness of the world outside…Re-live life in your terms!

Whether you are a busy corporate, an ambitious student, or simply in need of a shift, YES!+ will leave you feeling lighter and ready to face any challenge with greater clarity and ease.

It enhances excellence and health in ALL ASPECTS of life: professional, personal, academic, physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

CORE COMPONENTS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM:

v    Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY):  A rhythmic breathing process that brings clarity to the mind, enhances creativity, kicks out personal mental barriers, gets rid of unhealthy habits, and increases focus and concentration levels tremendously.

v    Challenging sessions to strengthen and energize the body and increase stamina

v    Interactive Processes that are fun and provide practical wisdom to dealing with unpleasant situations at work/life

v    You’ll learn Ancient techniques:

ü  To enhance focus and concentration without stressing the mind

ü  shortcuts to time management

ü  for enhanced productivity at work

v    A 20-minute daily breathing and meditation practice upon completion of the program

The upcoming YES!+ @ Bangalore:

       

Trainers: Smriti and Sahil Jagtiani. (Sahil is an International trainer for the Art of Living International Foundation, an Entrepreneur, and an International Singer and Musician.)

 Dates: 11- 13 June

 Timings:  8:00 a.m. - 12 p.m.

 Where: ManandiSamskruta Sadan Hall, Jayanagar 5th Block, Bangalore
Age Criteria: 18–30 yrs + "those Young at Heart!"

Contact Us: Krishna 09884761590, Gaurav 9886279368

Email- smritisahilyesplus@gmail.com

Visit www.yesplus.org For testimonials: http://www.yesplusevents.org/testimonials/

Strangely, over-saturated intellectuals today need testimonials from organizations to believe good things, so here goes...(bcos nothing should stop you experiencing the most freeing experience you can have, in life) Please check the testimonials of various Organizations.

Also, share this link with your friends, family and colleagues. You never know whose life you may help Transform!

    

What is killing India?

What is killing India?

Peep into this post and give yourself a weekend reality check....

·         Pesticides and fertilizers- India is the world’s largest user of fertilizers and pesticides. Look at Bangalore: sparrows have dwindled, no doubt. But now, even the crows say No to the city.

India has been the country with the most advanced forms of irrigation and most holistic way of agriculture. Ancient Indian agriculture systems like the Vedic Farming alone, yields far more superior crops, fruits and vegetables, than any damned fertilizer or pesticides any scientist can create…and without the damage that is caused by fertilizers and pesticides.

What happened after Independence?? “Independence"?...where’s the Independence?

·         Genetic Engineering- Just the south of India alone grows 150 varieties of rice! The smart way of agriculture is to grow different crops at different times on same soil…one type of crop enriches the soil for the next different type of crop to grow, thus allowing the soil to recuperate.

…But GM crops turn the agricultural soil sterile, and do not allow other crops to grow. This destroys the precious earth and leaves the farmers and the government defenseless at mercy of patenting laws. Patenting laws prevent farmers from saving crops.

·         Plastic:  Who invented the damned plastic?  The world lived just as comfortably before plastic was invented.

·         Bureaucrats: In terms of education quotient, politicians share the lesser blame compared to the so-called educated bureaucrats who are sucking up India and using politicians as pawn. If you feel responsible towards your country, what can you do? Write your Civil Services exam, become a responsible IAS officer. And while you are doing that, come to an Art Of Living workshop, tap enormous personal energy levels and broaden your capacity to take responsibility for yourself and for this planet.

·         Education: We have enough unemployable, and poorly conditioned lawyers, engineers and doctors in this country: we don’t want anymore! We need our ancient system of education back which the British systematically wiped out, so that they could fuel religious feuds, misconstrue the caste system, train Indians as lab rats who learn the following plagiarisms:

o   Galileo discovered that the Earth goes round the Sun’s orbit. (WRONG)

o   Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity. (WRONG)

o   Pythagoras discovered (a+b)² = a² + b² + 2ab. (WRONG)

o   Oppenheimer discovered the atomic bomb. (WRONG)

o   Drs. Steptoe and Edwards invented artificial insemination. (WRONG)

o   Archimedes of Syracuse discovered the value of “Pi”. (WRONG)

o   …I could go on and on.

All of the above and more were inventions or discoveries already made by ancient Indian scientists who were also spiritually enlightened meditators...such is the magnanimity of the world's grandest and most prosperous ("prosperous" in all senses) civilizations.

The bottom line is, our real Indian education system of Gurukul was systematically stolen by the English centuries ago, and plagiarized to form the Catholic system of modern education, and enforced upon us and the rest of the world during their colonization conquests.

·         English medicine (alopathy): Given the plethora of negative side-effects on the body and continual abuse of environmental resources, pharma companies have no real claims to philanthropy, except that English medicines come handy only in emergency situations when it is ok to pop a pill. Some facts here for Indian consumers.

You thought painkillers were a fantastic invention? Wrong! Painkillers dilute the nervous system’s ability to experience real pain in the pain areas of body. It simply postpones the cause of the disease.

You thought anti-depressants are the best boon to mankind?

Wrong! Anti-depressants (...and psychiatrists) only postpone chronic depression to a later time, and this only snowballs into worse depression and suicidal/homophobic tendencies. What’s the solution? No brownie points for guessing: It is MEDITATION.

If you are stressed or depressed, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga alone can solve the problem. If you are not stressed or depressed, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga alone can give you that extra energy burst (with heightened awareness) to do more in less time, at work or at home.

You thought alopathy cures the disease?

No! Alopathy in most cases treats just the SYMPTOMS, not the root cause. :-(

What’s  the cure?

Meditation and ayurveda.

Ayurveda attacks the CAUSE behind a disease, not the symptoms. And with zero side-effects…zero environment footprints.

And Panchkarma treatment ensures that diseases cannot touch your subtle body (that’s where diseases start incubating)

I couldn’t have found a better explanation of disease and health:

"Dis-ease occurs when any level of our existence is not at ease. Health is a disease-free body, a quiver-free breath, a stress-free mind, illusion-free intellect and obsession-free memory, an ego that includes all and a soul that is free from sorrow." – Sri Sri

·         Computer Games: This doesn’t need elaboration. We all know what it has done to whole generations of kids and teenagers across the globe! some facts

·         Junk Food: Carbonated drinks drain the body’s precious calcium and weaken digestion. Junk fast food: we all know what it does. I am amused that all we took from the west was coke and burgers, whereas in fact, we have much more to learn:

ü  Team work from the Japanese

ü  Precision from the Germans

ü  Presentation and marketing from the Americans

ü  Frankness and warmth from the Africans

ü  Etiquette and manners from the British

ü  Human and spiritual values from the Indians.

...choose a healthy lifestyle. Life is about living, and living is an art. ;-)

I DIDNT ELECT THIS MINISTER...DID YOU??????

Indian citizens have voted out GM food, and that’s a large sizeable chunk of educated citizens here, Mr Prithviraj Chavan.


What will it take our foolhardy administrators to realize that they must not misuse their seats of power, and that the votes that gave them the ability to take GOOD and LONG-SIGHTED HOLISTIC decisions, must not be taken lightly.


Especially in the scenario where the farmer populace of the country is concerned…because agriculture is one of the strongest pillars of India when it comes to prosperity factors. And introducing GM food will invite the not-so-desirable side-effects of GM food…


Legally it will make our country vulnerable to the monopolies of GM manufacturers (Monsanto being the kingpin) and we all know how such irresponsible, greedy and manipulative organizations have don to other countries. It is WISE to learn from others’ mistakes, wont you agree?

From business perspective, Bt Brinjal will open flood gates to other GM foods, and the trade-off between a “SHORT-TERM” increase in productivity will leave a plague in all other aspects of agriculture, business, ethics, etc.


Environmentally, it will bring EXTINCTION to the hundred plus crops that are a blessing to India. And yes, GM crops turn the soil sterile to other crops, seriously compromising the integrity of our eco-system.


Health-wise, GM food causes the maximum damage. We have already discovered few NEGATIVE side-effects to health caused by GM food. These, GM organizations are unsuccessfully trying to hide under their carpets. However, Mr Chavan, the larger percentage of damage to your family and to mine, will be visible only when we like educated fools start eating GM food… BECAUSE SUFFICIENT RESEARCH has NOT BEEN CONDUCTED on GM food. And the little research done so far…well, we all know who conducted it.


Why Monsanto sucks? http://www.monsantosucks.com/


Today Mr Prithviraj Chavan is underhandedly trying to introduce a bill that brings GM food into our country. As if, we do not have enough other important issues to take care of.


If The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill 2009 (BRAI) is passed in the current parliamentary session, what will happen?

This is what this preposterous bill proposes:

The bill proposes to gag the media (Section 63) since it infringes upon the fundamental right of freedom of speech.

The penalty for creating awareness (misleading the public) about the ill effects of Genetically Modified issues may lead to an imprisonment of minimum six months and up to one year with a maximum fine of Rs.2 lakhs. Our right to freedom of speech will be curbed if this Bill is passed. The clauses of this bill are draconian and more stringent than even the repealed acts like POTA, TADA.

The worst is this: There was no provision for action against the company for concealment of facts (ill-effects) as it happened in case of tobacco in the US where the court fined $250 billion after several years.


GM crops must be strongly discouraged UNTIL SUFFICIENT TESTS are conducted by INDEPENDENT BODIES
(The integrity of Monsanto tests is questionable right from grass-root level: http://www.monsantosucks.com/Newsnviews/revolvedoor.htm)

What say, Mr Chavan?

Otherwise, how would you like your children and grandchildren to remember you? I mean, God forbid it.


His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar—the global face of spiritual and unconditional humanitarian leadership, has been educated in modern as well as Vedic sciences, and with the unquestionable integrity that He is known world over for, this is what He has to say,

“We don’t need a bill that encourages free entry of GM food into India, without ensuring health safety of the people, besides penalizing the voice of protest.”

What can people like you and I do to protect our country and loved ones from such foolhardy politicians?


Start a signature campaign:

• among your close friends and family
• among your colleagues
• among your neighbors and social circles

Team up with NGO's who have taken up active responsibility.

EDUCATE PEOPLE AROUND YOU, that's the LEAST you can do.

PASTEURIZATION KILLS MILK!

Pasteurization deprives children of the essential constituents that clean, raw milk can provide.

As for the health-conscious consumers who need REAL milk, pasteurized milk is fooling them into an illusion of milk, whereas fact is they are just consuming some white liquid that has near-zero essential nutrition.

What’s worse is all this artificial treatments to milk (and other food products) have created a generation of weak individuals who have weak immunity levels…due to excessive hygiene of course. This should be a reality-check for readers who say “raw milk may just be full of harmful bacteria”…I am sure the human race existed, in fact they thrived better long before Pasteur was heard of.

Pasteurization had set out to accomplish 2 things: destruction of germs, and preventing milk from turning sour (this is funny…because sour milk is super good for invalids, as a laxative). It did achieve the mentioned goals, at a greater cost that destroys the purpose itself.

Pasteurization ended up destroying even the beneficial bacteria which is why we drink milk. Not just that, pasteurization destroys nutrition in the milk. And this measure taken to prevent milk from souring, creates more favorable conditions for UNDESIRABLE GERMS to MULTIPLY very very fast.
The problem which Pasteur missed is that, its dirty milk causes menace, NOT raw milk. RAW MILK IS GOOD.

Some zealots say raw milk can cause tuberculosis. I have discovered some studies conducted on this assumption which revealed that pasteurized milk had also caused tuberculosis.

The last discovery I made is, pasteurization is the main offender when it comes to turning the much –needed calcium in milk, into insoluble by the body! RESULTS: rickets, bad teeth, nervous troubles. This also depletes the phosphorus associated with Calcium. RESULTS: serious effect on bone and brain formation. Pasteurization also destroys 20 percent of the iodine present in raw milk. RESULTS: constipation.

Now, for those special few people in denial (who ironically also happen to be intellectually stimulated), here are the numbers and figures: http://www.karlloren.com/aajonus/p15.htm. End Of Discussion :-)

Instead of forcing dealers to set up expensive machinery for turning raw milk into a mutant white zero nutrition liquid, can the government ensure our dairy-farmers produce clean, raw milk?

For more information: http://www.realmilk.com/

The MEANING of SWASTIK Symbol

SRI SRI: 

"Swastik is a symbol and they are the people who make something out of the symbol.For eg, the `Do Not Enter´ symbol is only recognized in USA and Europe. It is not known in India and hence it has no significance.

 
The Swastika represents the 4 time zones, also represents the 4 stages in life - in 100 years, first 25 years is for studying (studenthood) , next 25 years is the life of a householder, next 25 years is the time to do service for society, last 25 years is the time for being a recluse - completely detached from everything. There are several such 4s like the 4 Vedas etc. The ancient symbol of Swatika was in the clockwise direction and signified the cyclical nature of time. Hitler changed it make it go in the other direction and preverted the meaning"

Beautiful! :-)

Stop Minister Chavan from poisoning our food

RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN OF THE WORLD?

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION

http://greenpeace.in/safefood/chavan-petition/

Legendary Love

Legendary is the love that withstands rejection. It will be free of anger and ego.


Legendary is the commitment that withstands humiliation. It will be one-pointed and will reach its goal.


Legendary is the wisdom that withstands turbulence. It will be integrated into life.


Legendary is the faith that withstands a million chances of doubt. It will bring perfection-- siddhis.


Legendary are the events that withstand time. They will become morals for the millions.

-Montreal Ashram, Quebec, Canada, July 5, 2000

The ONE and ONLY ONE TRUE VALENTINE

The Times of India, 12th February, 2010

H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

This Valentine’s Day, make the Divine your valentine. See the Divine in your valentine and make the divinity your valentine. Have the same love for everyone, with different flavours. You cannot behave the same way with everyone, but you can love all of them. Love transcends behaviour and etiquette.

Abiding in the Self, you become the valentine for the whole world. Spirit is the valentine of matter and matter is the valentine of the spirit. They are made for each other. If you hold on to matter and do not respect the spirit, then matter is not pleased. If you honour the spirit, then you will care for the world, and when you care for the world, it will take care of you. Keep your heart in a safe place; it is too delicate. Events and small things make strong impressions on it. A precious stone needs a setting around it - gold or silver - to hold it; in the same way wisdom and knowledge are the settings that will hold your heart in the Divine. To keep your heart safe and your mind sane, you cannot find a better place than the Divine. Then the passing time and events will not be able to touch you; they will not create a scar.

Often, you do not know how to respond, or feel obliged and bound, when someone shows a lot of love. The ability to receive genuine love comes with the ability to give love. The more you are centred and know by experience that love is not an emotion; it is your very existence, the more you feel at home with any amount of love expressed in any manner.

There are three kinds of love. The love that comes out of charm, that which comes out of comfort and divine love. The love that comes out of charm does not last long. It comes out of unfamiliarity or attraction. In this, you lose the attraction fast, and boredom sets in. This love may diminish and bring along with it a fear, uncertainty, insecurity and sadness.

The love that comes out of comfort and familiarity grows, but it has no thrill, no enthusiasm, joy, or fire to it. For example, you are more comfortable with an old friend who is a familiar person rather than with a new person. Divine love supersedes both the above. It has an ever present newness. The closer you go, more charm and depth come to it. There is never boredom and it keeps everyone on their toes.

Worldly love can be like an ocean, yet an ocean has a bottom. Divine love is like the sky which is limitless. From the bottom of the ocean, soar into the vast sky. Ancient love transcends all these relationships and is inclusive of all the relationships. Let love be. Don’t give it a name. When you give it a name, it becomes a relationship, and relationships restrict love.

Often, one experiences love at first sight. Then as time goes on, it decreases, decays, turns into hatred and disappears. Ancient love never decays. Although its mortality rate is high, love dies very young. After a few days, weeks, months, or years, it dies. In society, you say love is never a tree, it is a seasonal crop.

When the same love becomes a tree with the manure of knowledge, it becomes ancient love that goes from lifetime to lifetime. That is our own consciousness. You are not limited to this present body, this present name, this present form and the present relationships around you. You may not know your past, your ancientness. But just know you are ancient, that is good enough.

Pain goes with love. Because you love someone, even a small action can hurt you. And in hurt, you feel very delicate, very deep. Love also creates the same sensation. Separation creates the same symptom. If you don’t love somebody, you will never feel hurt by them. Understand and accept this. Then that hurt will not turn into a sore feeling. Rather, that very hurt will take you deep into dispassion and meditation.


When love glows, it becomes bliss; when it flows, it is compassion; when it blows, it is anger; when it ferments, it is jealousy. Let love be. Don’t give it a name!

The ShivSena misfits!

"ShivSena"!

I am sure no smart entrepreneur would name his/her venture this name...ever! Shiv and Sena are oxymorons, in any sense...because Shiva-- the Siva element in the universe represents: peace, unonditional love, and non-dual one..."Shivam Shaantam Advaitam Anandam"...and Sena means an Army....oxymoron right...

originally "Shiv Sena" was an allusion to Shivaji the great Emperor's army. Shivaji a legend of great might, wit, wisdom, and above all, patriotism, of course! But to name a political party by that name...a political party that has gone berserk, is a grave injustice to the name of Shivaji Maharaj.

I need not get into the exploits of the political party, they are quite infamous already...but I'll share Pooja Bedi's sentiments towards ShivSena's fantaticism...and I am sure many Indians (at home and offshore) also share the same sentiments...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Pooja-Bedi-Peace-cant-be-achieved-by-violence/articleshow/5542736.cms

"I simply cannot comprehend... the Shiv Sena and MNS getting upset that Australians and Pakistani terrorists are attacking Indians. No doubt that it’s an atrocity and appalling in every sense, but somewhere the Senas need to get their perspectives sorted. Have they forgotten that they themselves have been hitting, beating, ostracising, abusing and threatening Indians in India? Er...yes, all Mr. Thackerays... sorry to break this to you, but North Indians are Indians too! And the same aggression, shock and anger you feel when Indians are being attacked is what we feel every time you do the same to other Indians! Why do you expect others to love and respect all Indians when you clearly don't do so yourself?
I simply cannot comprehend... how parties like the Shiv Sena, that lose the elections, still get to dictate to the city, state and country their agenda. Clearly the masses voted against such ideologies. So why are they allowed to still prevail with their rule of terror?
I simply cannot comprehend... why a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai, that contributes over 40 per cent of the country's income tax and corporate tax, hasn't had the state and central government jumping in to protect its image and tax-paying populace from terror attacks, menacing goons and divisive politics...
I simply cannot comprehend ... why the Jain, Sindhi, Marwari, Parsi, Gujarati, South Indian communities and business/industry heads, along with every single tax-paying non-Marathi individual in Mumbai (that's a massive chunk of Mumbai and tax payers right there) don't demand an apology from the two Senas for their actions and from the elected government for its inaction!
What I can comprehend ... is that peace cannot be achieved by violence. It can only be attained by understanding... but will the Senas comprehend that? Probably not! Because it's a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. And forget being Marathi, he's not even Indian!"

These days, I was pondering over an emerging trend in the country...From macro-division, from Pakistan, and Bangalesh decades ago...mentality has narrowed into micro-division...with the likes of UP-Bihar divide...the Uttaranchal divide...now flashes of political idiots misguiding people in the state of Andhra Pradesh to divide it into Telengana (people who are originally Telegu-speaking) and non-Telengana...and fuelling gullible people and hormone-awash youth into creating violence...

I ask this fundamental question...We all know this is just a political stunt of the idle mind (devil's workshop) to divide the state and have more number of governing bodies who can exercise full control on their portions, but @ the end of the day, people are divided...more decentralization (which is bad, in this case) happens...take an unbiased public poll..and we all know what people will say: everyone wants to stay together...

I leave you guys with one question: AP if divided, will leave Hyderabad to the Telengana part! For anyone who knows even a bit about Hyderabad, will know what a misfit Hyderabad will be in in hands of the other team....LOL

"Get well soon, our politicians!"

...I am not going to blink an eyelid, if tomorrow, the Shiv Sena's demand a separate state...hahaha...

...this brings me back to the matter of prime importance, today we are better off with senseless political parties like Shiv Sena being out of power...will it stay the same tomorrow...it depends on one question:

DO YOU VOTE?

Remember, as children, how we were protective of our toys...some of us, have grown...from toys to people...and some of us, have grown from toys to land...my land, my political power, my boy friend, my girl friend, my this, my that...

Can we start this all over again, and say, my country- my Valentine...even better: my planet- my responsibility!

Lack of spirituality is the root of all problems!