To see or to sense?

Do we sense things beyond the world we construct from our ‘five senses’? I am sure we do, and there is enough scientific data to prove that. But does our reliance on our ‘five senses’ hinder our ability to truly sense things. Are the yogi’s right when they say that we should shut out the world to truly ’see’ the world.

All of us have had such experiences, and most of us deny ourselves those experiences, by calling it a play of imagination. But in my experience, these moments have been of extreme simplicity and clarity. The sensing is of the unity of all things beyond analysis and understanding, in the realm of experiencing. These are meditative moments that force you into the clarity of ‘now’. Not always in meditation – but events that can lead to that which meditation is hoping to achieve.

In one such moment I actually decide to write at random, about my experiences with the 'beyond'. I do not meditate, not the conventional way, anyways. And its not exactly meditation that's the aim here. I am trying to get to where people get to with conventional ways of meditation, but just without meditation. Your senses will react to the surroundings by default. It is when you take full control over all your senses, your sense of sight, the touch, the smell, when you are totally in control over all your senses, that perhaps is when you have attained the desired result of meditation. To meditate, is to look into yourself, feel every molecule in you, every movement inside your body, every sound it makes, the feel of owning yourself and at the same time, being fully aware of your surroundings. And people have numerous ways to do that. I ride.

And it isn't something I have done for a very long time, but long enough to understand that I was born to do that. I was born to ride. Most people find it an activity they have to do in their lives to move from Point A to Point B, as part of their lifestyle, a compulsion of sorts. I somehow, find solace while I ride, whether it be for work, or any other purpose, I seem to always look forward to it, At 3 in the noon under the scorching sun, or be it too windy, or be it 5 in the morning on a particularly chilly winter, it always seems to lighten my mood, and cheer me up. But we are not here to see me be cheerful. What happens after, is what intrigues me.

Whenever I take a long ride, I mostly go for an open face helmet, a light backpack with my camera, phone charger, a change of clothes and chocolates and just leave. And there are stages to what I feel. I will probably check on the health of the motorcycle at first. Then I will start enjoying the wind, be cheerful. But then after some time, the difference between 'happy' and 'sad' somehow seems to dissolve. There is no emotion. No thoughts too, for that matter. Just the moment. That very moment. And it feels like a long empty bridge that connects your senses to you. And you look at yourself. 

It's something I tell you. surprises me all the time. I would not be particularly concentrating on the road, to ensure a safe ride, its like the subconscious takes care of that by itself. What happens to the conscious, you'd ask? I think, and it is just a hypothesis, the conscious surrenders to the subconscious. Your senses are so much in sync with each other, they feel and sense as one single unit, in perfect harmony. And I think in that particular moment one is fully in control over their senses, even though consciously they aren't making any effort to do so whatsoever.

And that brings us to the final question. What we see and sense in regular life, is that all a lie? I ask because it is quite different from what I see when I have that clarity of thought. It's like our senses are somehow muddled during our day to day lives, while we interact with people and situations around. What do we believe in, and what not? And in our 'busy' lives is it too much to ask for a clarity of thought every once in a while, a little solace for ourselves?

Till next then
Ciao

Confusing Indian elections.

I find these elections confusing. I completely support all the NGO’s that are making great efforts to et everyone to vote, and striving to provide details of the candidates at a click of an sms request on your cell phone.
But what do the parties stand for ? The platform for everyone seems to be why the other party was not the right candidate. The electioneering seems to be completely negative. Putting down the opposing candidate. Why I should not vote for the other Candidate, not why I should vote for you ?
Why should I vote for you ?

Attention Seeking...

We spend our lives trying to get attention and loving it. Getting attention is what provokes people, creates relationships and also destroys relationships. At some levels the ego is propelled to do greater things while it seeks attention. But at other levels, for so many of us attention seeking becomes an obsession. Therefore self-destructive. You can’t spend your life seeking affirmation through other people’s eyes. More often than not this leads to a loss of self-worth with all its associated problems.

I spent many years of my life as a child in wonderful adventures, but also in “Vanity” about myself. I often look back at my life and wonder how many beautiful relationships I missed out on, how many great adventures I did not give myself to, because of my own vanity or the need to seek attention.

But better late than never, I am on a different path now as I realize that the greatest adventure of all, the greatest potential relationships of all, the greatest love of all, lies in what’s given. Not in what is received.
Not because of some great “altruistic” or “selfless” illusion of myself. But because the greatest adventure of all lies in seeing yourself not as an individual drop, but as the ocean. To lose my sense of individuality. To lose that which is “Abhimanyu Manna” the individual allows me to lose “me.” I am not saying that I am there yet. My ego still carries too many remanents of the past. Past desires, past aspiratons and past insecurities. But I’ve made a start.

Everyday, for a part of the day I argue against my own ego to remind myself of the greatest illusion of all.

My individuality.

Me.

Till next then.
CIAO

A Stray thought.

When was the last time a lion asked of another
"so what’s he doing these days?"
doing what lions do I guess,
being a lion.
So what r u doing these days, Abhimanyu?
doing what human beings do I guess
being human
and destroying the planet
by eating more than the average human
and...wasting...life!..
for in the scheme of things.

Does an ant see itself as an individual
with an individual consciousness?
Or a collective?
And as I walk the streets
everyone trying as hard as they are,
myself included,
to express their individuality,
to know they exist,
conflicted as we are
by our need to be a part
and apart both
from the collective,
do ants need to do the same thing?
Whats going on in their mind
or wherever their consciousness
or their imagination exists?
Do they merely see, imagine
only the collective?
Or like us
the collective
through the individual?

And do we even enter
their consciousness
except as creatures
that trundle around
unpredictably
without purpose
undecided
between Big Bazaars
and the little cafe’
for a cup of coffee
and looking down
from a galaxy far far away
at this tiny speck of dust
called earth;
an ant,
a human,
one crushed
beneath the others feet
has no significance
other than
the breathing of the universe
between creation and destruction?

I wonder..!

Till Next then
CIAO

Yelling.

I ran from the noise
looking for silence
and in my solitude,
I heard a single scream
that came from
inside my head;
I was the one
yelling,
the loudest,
trying to be heard
above everyone else
like a child
screaming for attention
in a world
where a billion voices
were doing the same.
I was.
I am.
Still am.

Till next then.
CIAO

Why was I born?

I looked for my true calling
I looked for my true purpose
What I am supposed to do on the planet
Why was I born ?
And I asked the question deep inside me
Beyond logic, beyond thought, deep in the bowels
Of the space where I connect to the Universe
Where I can be thrown into the raging storm of ‘not knowing’
And the answer hit me in an immense tidal wave of understanding
“You are your own purpose
Nothing more, and nothing less
A bundle of purpose and karma
All existing within itself
And the only thing holding it back
Is the separation created by
Words like ‘I’ and ‘my’ and ‘me’.”

Till Next then
CIAO

Color, Life & People…

Why do we still see in color?
When color came to film, it was a thrilling moment. We celebrated the richness of the colors and they’ve only sharpened over the years. Today our images are even more alive, our colors more vibrant.
Yet, while we celebrate color in the digital world, why don’t we do the same in the real world?  Why do we still stop there?  Why do we build so many differences – race, ethnicity, religion, class?  Why?
As one who’s traveled widely, well, almost, it’s become quite apparent that people are people, no matter what color – pink, purple, green even! It’s become apparent that our frustrations, worries, concerns, fears are so universal.  That is why great art, literature, and music sees no divide.  Because its message is of human emotion.
We are creatures who oddly think of others before ourselves many times.  We are inclined to bend to the wishes of family and dear friends, even if they are against our deepest desires.  We gravitate towards what we are told us “right.”  But what is “right?”  Is it my “right”?  Is it your “right”?  Who came up with “right”?
And in the mad cacophony of voices in our head, we forget our own.  What if we do not see the differences?  What if we do not see color, race, ethnicity, religion, or class?  Should we, because the world does as well?  Should we, because our families do as well?  Should we, because it is easier that way – to drive in the lane that you’re currently taking?
The questions seem endless.  And yet, the answer repeatedly seems to be the same — no.
But, we live only for a few moments, only a few years on this planet, only a short lapse in the grander scheme.  Why not please ourselves?  Why not be guided by unfiltered passion?  Why not go blind, using only what we feel?  Why not be absolutely true to our deepest wishes?
Because it is difficult?
But nothing is difficult.  As I’m told repeatedly, life is simple.
People complicate it.
Till next then…
CIAO

90% of our Brain is devoted to?

Gossiping !All of us have heard about scientists saying we use only 10% of our brains. So what is the other 90% doing ? Some say it is to connect with our universal and spiritual selves. Others say it’s all about the subconscious problem solving part of the brain.
But the theory I like the most is that 90% of our brain is reserved for an art that in our hurried daily lives we are fast loosing. The art of Gossip.
Apparently we need to gossip to come to terms with the pressures of everyday social interaction. We need to gossip, to put it crudely, to stop killing each other. And a sense of humor is so important to the Art of Gossip. In eastern societies there is an unsaid acceptance of the Gossip culture. Almost an addiction. For how would they survive some of the really harsh conditions with any form of dignity without a bit of Gossip and a sense of humor ?
For those that know and live in North India here are the keywords :
“Kya kar rahe ho aaj sham ko ?”, “Chal aaja, yaar, kuch gup-shup marenge’
“Aaj mehfil kahan hai ?”

Each one an invitation to idle gossip. Idle and free flowing being the key words. To ease out the tensions and pressure of everyday life, and to ease yourself back into harmony with the community, and therefore with yourself and . We have seen it all over, with the men around the Hookah in the middle east. The men gathered drinking in Greece.
In England the community gathering together at the pub.
The ability to gossip is the ability to indulge in a sense of humor. We loose that and we are lost. And I would like to believe that is true. That 90% of our brains are available for a wonderful sense of humor.
But as we physically move away from our roots, as we become more and more involved with the pressures of work, as families become smaller and smaller, and as TV and computers and the internet takes away time from the ultimate leisure activity that 90% of our brains are designed for – Gossip – what is happening to us as social beings ?
As we are finding ourselves more and more isolated, are we becoming more and more intolerant of each other ? Of each other’s points of view ? Are we loosing our identity as assimilated social beings ?
And is it possible that the rise of blogging and chat rooms are the new alternate forms of the ‘Gossip Society ? Is it the new Mehfil? Is it the 90% brain that is driving us there ?
However, surely being together face to face and with the physical intimacy that a warm gossip room brings, also brings with it a sense of responsibility. It is the adult form of play that children and the young of all animal kingdom do – play act war games and battle games and social games. It’s the adult form of what little girls do when they play with dolls and dolls houses.
The adult form is the Gossip room. the Mehfil.
So my question is that, is the anonymity of the blog and the chat room taking away the responsibility that being face to face brings? Are we playing out the adult social games as they were meant to be, or are we indulging in something half baked and therefore possibly dangerous here.
Dangerous? Not if we accept that there is a nature of Gossip in what we are doing. So lets bring back a sense of humour, shall we?
Or 90% of our brains will be destructive instead of constructive and harmonizing.
Till Next then.
CIAO

Imperfections.!

The chat with her left me thinking. Is there a perfect gesture? Can ‘anything’ be done perfectly? Can anything ever feel perfect? A talk? An argument , even?


Well… the night, for starters was perfect. Clear sky, full of stars. A cool breeze. The walk felt good. Lonely. But good. Not at any moment did it feel like a 6 km walk. It was light. I felt light.


So maybe perfect things do exist, around us, in our lives. Now coming to what we mortals do. Can we mortals do perfects things? Like having perfect conversations? Closing a deal perfectly? Mmm… Having a perfect argument.. say? Can we?


I guess not. Humans are imperfect. In fact humans are far from being perfect. All of them. Not one work can ever be executed perfectly. No relationship can ever be perfect. No emotion delivered perfectly. So we humans are imperfect. Face it..!


But then doesn’t that very quality set us apart? From animals? From other humans? Then, Perfectness would mean there would be just one perfect human, one perfect attitude set, one perfect skill set, one perfect profession, one perfect car, one perfect city to live in, one perfect dish to eat daily, one perfect..of anything.


And achieving ‘that’ Perfect thing would mean we would all be the same. Exact replicas of each other. All behave exactly the same. All would look exactly alike, drive the same car, live in the same city, all of ‘em, eat the same thing everyday.


Aiming for the ‘Perfect’ would mean loosing your ‘Individuality’. Loosing that, would mean… well you yourself would cease to exist, ..figuratively..of course.!


Abhimanyu: “All right Life..! Lesson taken. Do not aim for the Perfect.. Done deal..!”
Life: Mind it..! Yenna Rascalla..!


P.S: Now who cares about perfect arguments anymore… haha..!
(Special regards to YM for helping me getting rid of my ‘block’…and JS, who is..well…shall we say My Imperfect Inspiration..!)