How well we understand the gift of Mind?
[Vinod Anand]
We have been created by the universe. How well do we know our creator, the universe? We have been gifted by the universe with a unique attribute, the mind. How well do we understand this gift?
The mind creates its own realities and a ... Views: 1165
Characteristics of Preschool Thinking
[Vinod Anand]
1. The young child cannot think from any point of view except his own and he does not realize that he is limited in this fashion. His thought is centered on one perspective, his own. An example of centered thinking in an adult makes this ... Views: 1766
Live and let Live
[Vinod Anand]
Are you taking someone’s life without even being aware of it? You might be doing just that, as the following true-life story illustrates.
A father was telling his graduate son what career the young man should pursue. The son listened to what his father had ... Views: 1399
Human Memory
[Vinod Anand]
Is ordinary knowledge confined to the material level, the abstract level, or is it a bit of both? Another question may arise: If ordinary knowledge is partly material and partly abstract, is there an extraordinary, super-conscious knowledge which is totally ... Views: 1979
Confusion in Life
[Vinod Anand]
In this world, you usually have two types of options. In Sanskrit the word dvividha means, two options. If you play around with this word, it also sounds as duvidha, which means confusion. The more options you have, the more confusion you face.
For ... Views: 1499
Be Spiritual
(Vinod Anand)
You believe someone else is causing you stress. The truth is there is only one person responsible for your state of mind. That person is YOU.
So practice ‘attitude control’. Assess the people you interact with. Accept them for what they are. You will be amused ... Views: 1388
Collect All Your Worries in a Box
(Vinod Anand)
On a pleasant, cool night, everyone in the apartment block had gone to bed after a nice dinner, and there was absolute silence.
Early in the morning, the police came with a search warrant for carrying out a search operation at Apartment ... Views: 1471
A Self-Realized Leader Can Work Wonders
[Vinod Anand]
We all are leaders in a way as people around constantly emulate us, seek our inspiration, guidance and support and crave for our attention, love and compassion. Therefore, leaders in any sphere face the dual challenge of connecting with ... Views: 1723
Attraction of Fragrance
(Vinod Anand)
There are some words we find beautiful in and of themselves; take ‘ephemeral’. It sounds good rolled around your lips, tongue and mouth, and to me it also looks good written. Its meaning, too, is hauntingly lovely—lasting for a markedly brief time. We ... Views: 1727
Direction of Enlightenment
(Vinod Anand)
I was brought up in India, a land that is imbued with a living mythology. Very early on in my childhood, it was my mother who told me that the word “inspiration” literally meant to be in spirit.
The spirit, in turn, was the spirit of God, who ... Views: 1366
Mind is the Greatest Gift of God
[Vinod Anand]
Mind is the greatest gift we have. All our activities are controlled by the mind. In the Bhagwad Gita, Krishna says that controlling the mind is more difficult than subduing the wind.
The mind is the source of all that is good and bad, ... Views: 1385
Intentions in Life
(Vinod Anand)
Much is said and written about how important intention is to our lives, but there is a whole lot of confusion around that word. A working definition of intention is: ‘to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim’, making it seem much the same ... Views: 1273
Thinking too much is not good
(Vinod Anand)
Imagine a one-year-old child who is still not able to stand on her feet. This child could think about her future and could well believe that she won’t be able to walk. Although she may be seeing adults walking, she could think that they are so ... Views: 1289
Learn to Live with Nature
(Vinod Anand)
Each one of us is very special and each one of us is trying his best to survive. You might ask: ‘In what way am I special?’ Or, ‘what makes me unique’? ‘What is the best strategy I should adopt to survive?’
However, your worries about yourself and ... Views: 1238
Looking at Life and Happiness
(Vinod Anand)
Each of us wants some peace and happiness in life. Still, happiness often evades us. “Is there a simple, straightforward roadmap to get happiness and peace in life,” I asked Swami Paramarthanandji in Chennai. He replied, ‘Reducing PORT is the ... Views: 1294
Focus on Silence
[Vinod Anand]
The mind and the physical brain control the human body. The brain and mind are controlled by the desire of the soul. Just close your eyes and see what is going on inside the brain. Give it just two minutes. You will find so many thoughts running inside you ... Views: 1361
Absorbing Fresh Knowledge
[Vinod Anand]
The capacity to absorb fresh knowledge is called udana. This capacity is at its maximum at infancy, and it diminishes gradually as you grow older. In the passage of life this process of absorption helps you gain information, knowledge and intelligence. ... Views: 1596
Look at the life in a new Way
[Vinod Anand]
Truth can be likened to a pyramid— its pinnacle gives the highest expression of truth, while its broad base gives strength and stability. I’ve been amazed by the number of people in India who tell me that they don’t believe in God, and then go onto ... Views: 1209
Knowledge through Self
(Vinod Anand)
Self knowledge is neither gained by explanations and descriptions nor by the instructions of others but by direct experience. Whatever is experienced and known here in this world, all that is the self, consciousness devoid of the duality of the ... Views: 1414
The Self is not free
(Vinod Anand)
Doing whatever you have done, you will continue to get what you have L.F got. So, to live wisely and happily, question the way of doing you have been following. In today’s world where the pace of life is so hectic, fast food has become a popular source of ... Views: 1197
The Power of Sincere Apology
[Vinod Anand]
The word ‘sorry’ is synonymous with apology. It is a common, familiar word but it is t potent and magical in its efficacy.
In our day-today life, it is symbolic of a polite apology for a wrong done intentionally or inadvertently and normally ... Views: 1337
Even a Teacher Might Have Ego
(Vinod Anand)
No one is completely devoid of ego and self-esteem. For example, if a guru does not have a well-functioning ego, then perhaps no seeker would ever listen to his discourses and the former would be left alone in his ashram.
Whether you are a ... Views: 1307
Patience Leads to Positive Attitude
(Vinod Anand)
Rome was not built in a day. Every masterpiece requires efforts to make things perfect. However, in some cases, despite all sincere efforts, the art simply remains art; it does not become a masterpiece.
This can lead to frustration, low ... Views: 1778
Happiness in Action
(Vinod Anand)
Stress is a disease of the 21st Century. It axes years from your life. Stress affects work output, causing failure and unhappiness. We need to develop internal protection from the challenges of life. You attribute your stress to an external agency. You ... Views: 1445
CREATIVENESS
(Vinod Anand)
One of the greatest problems confronting us at this present time is the question of creativeness, how to bring about the creative release of the individual, and if we can consider the question, not merely verbally, but go into it very deeply, perhaps we shall be ... Views: 1357
Convert Mistakes into Blessings
(Vinod Anand)
Every single mistake is a blessing in disguise...there are actually untold blessings hidden within every mistake. Children make many mistakes while learning how to ride a bike or write, and we don’t give it a second thought because we know that ... Views: 1486
Spiritual Experience
(Vinod Anand)
There are five aspects of spirituality—the objective, the why of spirituality, the means for attaining the objective, who pursues spirituality and when.
Objective of spirituality is to transcend the limited bodily identity and experience the oneness ... Views: 1225
ACTIVITY IS VERY IMPORTANT IN LIFE
(Vinod Anand)
Action is the insignia of life. The law of life proclaims that none can remain without performing activity. Everyone is made to act according to one’s own inner temperament. If you choose to remain idle, you lead yourself to destruction. ... Views: 1640
The Inner Mirror
[Vinod Anand]
I look again at a drawing my niece, then five, had made, and which I treasure. It has her, her sister, and another person who looks a lot like them. Under each ‘person’ is their name in a childish scrawl — Jacqui, Sue and God. “God looks like this, huh?” I ... Views: 1207
Live in the Present Moment
[Vinod Anand]
The present moment is all you ever have. There is never a time when your life is not “this moment’. Is this not a fact? Psychological time is a mental disease. Look as its collective manifestations.
They occur; for example, in the form of ... Views: 1336
About Poetry
[Vinod Anand]
A poet is the Ultimate Rest unbounded: He spreads his form of love throughout the world. From that Ray which is Truth, streams of new forms are perpetually springing, and He pervades those forms.
On the harp of the road what true melodies are being sounded? And ... Views: 1436
Change your Thinking and Lose Weight
(Vinod Anand)
Has your quest for the holy grail of dieting become a substitute for actually making changes required to take the ill health out of your current diet? If so, you may not realize your thoughts are key to your happiness and success. Do you ... Views: 1442
Self-Assessment is Very Important
(Vinod Anand)
We often have to keep reminding our/ selves that we are self-respecting individuals, who will not allow ourselves to be short-changed. Despite professional knavery and skullduggery, if we do an honest day’s work and remain true to ourselves, we ... Views: 1467
About Human Beings
[Vinod Anand]
It is said that a human birth is not easy to achieve. And once you have this human body, you are no longer in the hands of nature. You now have the rare capacity, called free will, to initiate a further process of evolution. An animal, on the other hand, is ... Views: 1281
The Gift: Economic Perspectives
[Vinod Anand]
As we know, there are three values (gifts) of economic life: Freedom, Justice and Care.
Let us briefly look at the economic perspective of gift:
In economics gifts have also received some attention too. It will come as no surprise that ... Views: 1350
MOVIES AND YOUR CHILD
(Vinod Anand)
Movies are one of the major influencers of the youth today. Instead of devising ways to restrict your child’s movie viewing, find ways to help your child get inspired and learn about, different topics through their favorite movies here...
parents often ... Views: 1416
Take the True Inner Pilgrimage
(Vinod Anand)
The Brahmasutra Bhashya of Sankara is an abstruse exposition of his advaitic thought, best summed up in a classic line from the l3hashya: “Brahmn satyamjagat mithya jivo Brahmaivah napara” — Brahmn alone is real, the world is illusory; the ... Views: 1210
BALANCING YOUR LIFE
(Vinod Anand)
To live a meaningful life, we need to balance our thoughts, words and actions. However, few are able to do this. Either we think too much or too little; in either case our actions are gravely affected.
For those who think too much, action is wanting and ... Views: 1323
Beyond The Physical World
(Vinod Anand)
We are part of manifest creation that has the inherent tendency of movement. The movement is either upward or downward, whether in the spiritual, commercial or emotional worlds.
Relationships play a significant role in all of this. Nothing is ever ... Views: 1507
The Balance between Love and Logic
(Vinod Anand)
Can we achieve a balance between love and logic? Logic leads to material gains, while love warms the heart and leads to emotional and spiritual gain.
In life, both are required. The eternal battle between mind and heart is something all of ... Views: 1593
The Eternal Light Lies Within
All of us do not see or hear the same way at life or the world. That explains why there are believers and non-believers of all hues. Jesus said that one should fix one’s affections on heavenly things and not lay up treasures upon this earth, neglecting more ... Views: 1118
Smoke Meditatively
[Vinod Anand]
Many people cannot drop the habit of chain-smoking. They do try hard but they normally fail. Some people say that is a sin to smoke. I would suggest that don’t make a mountain out of a molehill!
Now, what are you really doing when you are smoking? Just ... Views: 1515
Always Be Positive
(Vinod Anand)
God is regarded as the creator of all life on earth; whatever names you gave Him — Allah, Brahma, Rabb, Parmeshwar or Waheguru.
If believers tell you that God created life, then ask them: if that is so, who created Him? They have no answer. The truth is ... Views: 1315
Stay Calm No Matter What Happens
(Vinod Anand)
On any given day, our emotional state changes many times, one moment, something good happens to us and we are joyful. The next moment we receive a bad news and we start feeling sad. Then, we get a cheque in the mail unexpectedly and we are happy ... Views: 2788
New Mind in the New World
(Vinod Anand)
The companions, the relationships, the work, the ideas and the beliefs and the dogmas that we hold have produced a monstrous world, a world of conflict, misery and perpetual sorrow. We accept it as normal condition, we put up with it day after day; we ... Views: 1421
Spirituality is Synthesis, it is Oneness
(Vinod Anand)
A British author has described Jesus as a Sufi. Jesus was pure; he was love personified. Love is the motif of Sufism. Perhaps that is the reason why the author is calling Jesus a Sufi. In the same why, scholar Sheikh Saleem Ahmed has ... Views: 1286
Body, Mind and Soul
(Vinod Anand)
We have three aspects of our humanness, a body, a mind and an immortal identity — soul or spirit. The mind forms a link between the soul and the body and the two interact on each other. In the world of existence there is nothing so important as spirit, nothing ... Views: 1386
Spiritual Progress
(Vinod Anand)
What is the subject of the enjoyer? It is the mind. The mind undergoes physical as well as intellectual experiences. The experience of spiritual bliss is psycho-spiritual and partly mental by nature.
If all feelings are through the mind, it follows that ... Views: 1266
Remembering Past Lives
(Vinod Anand)
If you remember two or three lives, you will be in the same state as the centipede that had been living perfectly well and was going for a morning walk, when a little rabbit asked him, “Uncle, I have to ask a question:
How do you manage your hundred ... Views: 1285
Reason and Truth
(Vinod Anand)
Dogmatic thinking and abdication of reason in their innumerable forms remain as great obstacles to human advancement leading to suffering and ignorance, according to Swami Dayananda.
So strongly was he guided by the supremacy of reason that he proclaimed ... Views: 1237