They Celebrate My Coming

Christmas promises to fill my phone and email inbox  with kind and loving messages . Most of them will be identical messages, zipping out from and to phones, computers, only occasionally touching hearts and minds.

God's messengers have come and gone, and only the fortunate have been genuinely touched, the majority of us remain asleep.

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Dusk enveloped the city but it did not dim the the celebrations. The lights in huts, mansions, and places of worship and work twinkled, as if to keep time with the singing and celebrations.

Avoiding the throngs I walked alone towards the park contemplating the Man whose greatness they were honouring. I meditated on the genius of the ages, born into poverty, lived virtuously and died on the cross.

I sat down on a bench and from afar looked at the crowded streets and listened to the hymns and songs of the celebrants. How long I sat I do not know but was jolted out of my reverie by the realisation of the presence of someone else sitting on the same bench.

After getting over my surprise, I studied my companion. Strangely clothed and dignified looking I said to myself "He is solitary, as I am." I greeted him and he replied "Good evening my son."

"Are you a stranger in this city?" I asked

"Yes I am a stranger in this and every city."

Consoling him I said " A stranger should forget that he is an outsider in these holy days, for there is kindness and generosity  in the people."

His eyes looked to the sky as if focused on a distant land and his lips quivered and he said in a sad voice, "I am more a stranger in these days than in any other."
"This is the time of the year the rich remember the poor and the strong have compassion for the weak."

He returned "Yes, the momentary mercy of the rich upon the poor is bitter, and the sympathy of the strong toward the weak is naught but a reminder of superiority."

I affirmed, "Your words have merit, but the weak poor cares not what transpires in the heart of the rich, and the hungry do not care how the bread he is craving is prepared."
And he responded, "The one who receives is not mindful , it is the giver who has to be mindful of the intent of giving,  that it is love and compassion given and not to build self esteem."

I was amazed by the wisdom and said, "It appears you are in need of help, will you accept some money from me?" And with a sad smile he replied, "Yes I am in desperate need, but not of money, or gold."

Puzzled, I asked, "What is it that you require?"
"I am in need of shelter. I am in need of a place where I can rest my head and my thoughts."
"Please accept this money from me and go to a lodge and take rest."
Sorrowfully he answered, "I have tried every lodge and knocked at every door, but in vain. I have entered every food shop, but none cared to help me. I am hurt, not hungry; I am disappointed, not tired: I seek, not a roof, but human shelter."

"What a strange person he is! Once he talks like a great philosopher and then like a madman!"
With a sad voice he said to me, "Yes I am a madman, sadly even a madman will be denied food and shelter, because the heart of man is empty."
I apologised to him saying, "Please forgive me for my reckless thought. Would you accept my hospitality and take shelter in my home?"

I knocked on your door and all the doors, more than a thousand times, and received no answer, " he answered severely. Then he added "You would not invite me to your home were you to become aware of my identity."
"Who are you?" I asked fearfully.
With a thunderous voice like the roar of the ocean, "I am the revolution who builds what man destroys, I am the tempest that  uproots the weeds so life may grow. I am the one who came to earth to banish war and spread peace on earth. Alas I am disappointed because man is content only in misery."

Then with hands outstretched and tears running down his cheeks he stood up high facing me. I saw the scars on his arms and the marks of nails in the palms of his hands: I prostrated myself before him convulsively and cried out, saying "Oh Jesus, the Nazarene!"
And He continued, in anguish, "People are celebrating my coming and in My honour  they pursue ages old tradition around My name. Yet I remain a stranger wandering from East to West upon this earth and no one really knows of Me. The animals have their burrows and the birds have the skies, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head."

At that moment I lifted my head, and looked around and found only a column of smoke before me. In the relative silence of the park I heard the voice resound as if emerging from the depth of eternity. "The song of the voice may be sweet, but the song of the pure heart is the voice of heaven."


Adapted from 'Eventide of the Feast' by Khalil Gibran

God belongs only to me.

Some colleagues and I were enjoying listening to 'Kirtan'  (holy hymns) as we drove to a meeting.

My colleague asked, "Who composed these beautiful hymns, and who were the minstrels?
I stated with a cocky pride that the hymns were those originally sung by my Guru, Nanak Dev ji, in praise of that one unifying energy and force we call God.
The first Sikh Guru, and humanity's youngest and probably most modern spiritual faith.

In fact the day was special because it marked Guru Nanak ji's 543rd birth anniversary.

The moment I uttered these words I felt rather foolish.
'My Guru, my God, my faith', how could I for even a fraction of a moment presume that all these belonged only to me ?  Me, an insignificant bit of living dust was now claiming ownership over God and Guru.

Was not God one? How dare I believe for a fraction of a moment that the Guru was not for the universe and only for a select few like me? How stupid and arrogant of me?  How weak and petty was my belief?

Luckily my companions did not comment, either because they were as ignorant as I or  graciously indulgent of my shortcomings. I am not alone, for I share this same myopic vision with countless other followers of various faiths.

Some time ago, the Supreme court in Malaysia passed a judgement that a non Muslim may not use the name 'Allah', as only Muslims are permitted to do so. The simple meaning of 'Allah' is God, now belongs only to Muslims as per the learned judges of the court.

The creator is one and we call Him by a million names, our perceptions may change but He remains unchanged. He belongs to no one rather we belong to him and maybe to each other.

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Religion is supposed to be a unifying force and make people and the world a better place. Somewhere along the way,  religions and faiths have mostly lost their unifying purpose,  unless to attack others. Religions have turned violent, ugly and mostly irrelevant for spiritual growth of humanity.

If one looks below the surface it is quite evident that the problem is not with religion, it is with leaders of religion.
Spiritual phenomenon are now political movements, and politics is nothing but a game of power. Politics is war by other means. Wars have no winners only losers, and the greatest loss is our reverting back from human to beast.


We visit places of worship, where we meet so called 'religious persons'. We are asked to surrender to God. What they really mean is hand over your existence to these men, these self appointed, self serving so called representatives of God.

We are told to behave in a particular manner and to indulge in a certain way as it makes the individual subservient to other men.
This is why man's greatest cruelties, inhuman acts, miseries have been inflicted on mankind in the name of religion.
God did not create the world, He is the world for He has never been separate. He is in the air, water, soil, trees, animals, the mountains and the valleys, in the rainbow.

God is everywhere and belongs to all beings and all things. A truly religious person is easy to identify,  they are compassionate, tolerant, follows no dogma,  Through the true religion of love, friendship, contentment, tolerance,  with one another and with our world we can 

Namaste

It is customary that when people meet or depart they hail each other. It could be a salute, a bend, clap, rubbing of noses, an embrace or shaking of hands, etc. None however is more significant than 'Namaste' which originated in India and now popularly used around the world.

In Sanskrit 'Namaḥa' means  'respect',  'humble greeting’ or 'high regard' whereas 'te' means 'to you'. The greeting is performed with bowed head, palms touching,  fingers pointing upwards and the thumbs near the chest, to convey that with my entire being, (my soul, mind and body) I humbly greet you.

Indian belief is that we are all divine souls. 'Namaste' simply means my soul recognises yours and therefore honours divinity. 

Those who perform the greeting with their complete being, see God in everyone and all things.

Variations to this greeting are Namaskar, Namaskaram and Sat Sri Akal. The latter performed by Sikhs which means that I greet the divinity within you which is true and timeless. 

Namaste

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How you treat one person is 

how you treat the whole universe, 

because everything is One.

Who am I?

Trying to understand my existence?

Searching for God

Wherever you look, it appears that religion is making a revival. Unfortunately it does not seem to be doing the world much good. People are just as much if not more unhappy, frustrated and miserable as they were before.

Religions produce obedient followers and are therefore helpful for maintaining social order because they are supposedly based on scripture and the words of a Guru, Saviour, Prophet etc. Religion supposedly based on unchallengeable truths is more powerful than the authority of men even if they are rulers and government.

While providing some degree of solace to the masses, religion is  so powerful that it's leadership has been mostly hijacked by the wrong type of people. Power hungry and not necessarily good people have over a period of time taken over the reins of religious institutions. Pandering to insatiable demand of their followers for miracles and to cope with their fears, these powerful people are only concerned with themselves and have only marginal interest in religion. When the main interest of religious leaders is enrichment and enhancement of power, then religions cease to provide joy and liberation.

However if one seeks liberation and joy then one has to progress from religion and make the spiritual journey.

Most people consider religion and spirituality to be one and the same. In fact the two are completely different.  Religion is living life through others experience, spirituality is living through one's own experience.

Finding God is impossible through the mind. Unfortunately religions and  preachers appeal to our minds and ask us to follow blindly as if we are sheep. They claim that we are following God, but in reality we are only following other people.

The search for God is really the search for oneself. No one can discover themselves outside of their beings. Spiritual journey is introspection, looking within and meditation. Spiritual journey is the path of love.

If we are fortunate we experience love. Love is probably the most used word in the world and yet the least understood. Love is delightful and exhilarating because it is a feeling and not a thought. Love emerges from our spirit and not from the mind.

The search for God can be fruitful only through the heart and our spiritual being.

The beauty of love is that makes us blind. Probably the only way to find God is the blessing to fall in love with Him. Only then will we the little droplet travel to meet and merge into the ocean we call God.

Love cannot be found by understanding or application of thoughts. The mind will lead us to follow scriptures, but scriptures are dead to us if we are not enlightened. Religion makes shepherds of the priests and mere sheep out of us.

However spirituality leads our soul to discover and experience the unknown and thus enlighten us.

Spirituality is to experience and that too without thinking. This is why it is called 'falling in love'. We cannot force ourselves to love it just happens and it merely flows we simply fall in love.

Like all falls, love is initially frightening. Love after all means surrender. However we remain so guarded and fearful that we often lock ourselves inside our being. We have to be open and honest with ourselves.

Unfortunately when we surrender to people, a lover, a partner, parent, child  we are always disappointed, because nothing is permanent. The loved one changes and then we fall out of love. If we are jilted and lose someone or something our heart breaks. However when you fall in love with God, nothing changes and that love is pure and everlasting.

You may say, yes, yes, .......... I have heard all this before but how exactly will I find the way forward?

If you want someone else to answer that question, then once again you would be on the path of religion and not spirituality. We can only observe the experience of others and then examine our own experiences. This blog is but just another feeble attempt to reach your spirit through the mind.

My own experience suggests, love can easily blossom in healthy environments. On the other hand love cannot take birth in a toxic desert. It always helps to avoid people who exude negativity, who are cruel, preach and practice hate, cause divisions and exploit others, and are power hungry.

I have experienced that when we love the Creator, we love creation. We will see more and more goodness in people. All of His creation will be beautiful and even the experience of pain will be beautiful. As we evolve further we will exist beyond the experiences of joy and sorrow.

So friends love whoever you meet without hope of getting anything in return. Only God can do that. Love is an overflowing of goodness, which is inherent within all of us. Turn the tap on and give of yourself and your possessions as much as you can keeping only that which you need.

If you can cross this great step, then there will be no difference between you and the Creator.

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Do blessings work?

The other day my 90 year old aunt as always, placed her hand on my head and kissed me on the forehead saying "God bless you".

My son asked, "How can you tell if the blessings are working?"

Whenever the world is filled with unbearable pain and anguish, God sends a Messenger, a Messiah, a Guru or a Prophet to guide humanity

Today is Easter Sunday and on this day Jesus was resurrected after being crucified. Yet he wanted nothing he only wanted to give love. It was hard for people to understand this 2000 years ago so you can imagine how hard it is for people to accept that today.

We are not rich because we have much, we are infact poor as long as we are in want, and hunger for more. The rich are those that do not desire more and are content with what they have.

Rumi the great Persian Sufi said "The wound is the place where the light enters you", I should know for I have experienced it.

In my own life, within a very short time I lost all my material wealth and possessions. Only much later did I realise that it was not a tragedy but a stroke of good luck and a blessing in disguise. Why? Because, I realised the limitations of material  things and the infinite richness of my spiritual being. The end result is, I live each moment as if it is my last, contented and free of material burden. I have come to realise that,

• Childlike, many things, relations and incidents continue to fascinate me or make me happy.
• Money is just a means and not an end.
• Making the effort is within my capacity but not the results. Fruit of my labour is dependent on His grace. I do my work and let God do his.
• Whatever I do, there is no ulterior motive, malice or greed, therefore I am free of fear. This seems to do wonders for my appetite and my sleep. 
• My life's journey has become my destination.

I now know that the blessings are working.

Just a piece of meat

A few weeks ago, 40 year old Manmeeth my sister required to undergo surgery.

Normally independent and strong spirited Manmeeth was inexplicably very nervous and so Mohini my wife and I accompanied her to Pune's most reputed hospital, where she had already been booked by her surgeon.

The hospital handled the paperwork for her admission and collection of advance payment  very smoothly and efficiently. Soon after she went up to her room, a small army of 23 people went to work, doing their assigned 'jobs' in a factory like manner  preparing Manmeeth for surgery. 

Surprisingly except for the surgeon and the anesthesist no one engaged with Manmeeth to make her feel comfortable or provide her any sense of being cared for.  As observers we felt uneasy and completely helpless. All we could do was to hold her hand in ours.

A weak smile on her face and a strong grip on Mohini's hand did not disguise her nervousness as they took her to the operation theatre. 

Three hours later they wheeled Manmeeth back into the room, where she remained in a state of agony and dazed for the rest of the day and night.  

My unease grew the longer I stayed by her bedside. Most of the staff were were fairly efficient, but they  appeared  least concerned with Manmeeth the patient. I could not overcome my disappointment that the hospital staff had touched her body but not her being. To them she was just a job, a patient number and could have been nothing more than a living piece of meat.

Most hospitals like to claim they are in the health-care business. 

This is very misleading in the sense is that people go to the hospital only when they are ill. Therefore hospitals do not provide health-care they provide illness-care and that too coldly and badly.

What is true is that illness-care has become a business and that is not necessarily a bad thing. What is terrible is that the business of most hospitals only focuses on mere profits without consideration for the customer (in this case the patient) or the staff. Such hospitals will eventually lose their business whenever a competitor with more patient focus will emerge.

The surgeons and the hospital staff all said the operation had been a success. 

In physical terms  they were probably correct. Psychologically and emotionally the surgery was a disaster. They had treated a body and not a person.

Being compassionate is what makes a us human. 

Ask yourself honestly, "Have I lost my compassion?" 

If you have, then remember it's never too late to re-find your compassion because you never know when you might need it yourself.