Your What you think , not what you think your are

You are what you think, but not necessarily what you think you are.” — Chapter 7 from the book Your Forces and How to Use Them drives home this point very well. Worth a read. Excerpts from this chapter:

Scientific research in the metaphysical field has demonstrated the fact that man is as he thinks, that he becomes what he thinks, and that what he thinks in the present, determines what he is to become in the future; and also that since he can change his thought for the better along any line, he can therefore completely change himself along any line. But the majority who try to apply this law do not succeed to a great degree, the reason being that instead of working entirely upon the principle that man is as he thinks, they proceed in the belief that man is what he thinks he is.

…

Man may think that he is great, but so long as he continues to think small thoughts, he will continue to be small. No matter how high an opinion he may have of himself, while he is living in the superficial, his thoughts will be empty, and empty thoughts are not conducive to high attainments and great achievements. Man becomes great when he thinks great thoughts…

…

You may think that you are well, but you will not secure health until you think thoughts that produce health. You may persistently affirm that you are well, but so long as you live in discord, confusion, worry, fear and other wrong states of mind, you will be sick; that is, you will be as you think and not what you think you are. You may state health in your thought, but if you give worry, fear and discord to that thought, your thinking will produce discord. It is not what we state in our thoughts, but what we give to our thoughts that determine results.

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Your opinion of your mental capacity may be great, but if your idea of intelligence is crude, your intelligence-producing thought will also be crude, and can produce only crude intelligence. It is therefore evident that to simply think that you are brilliant will not produce brilliancy, unless your understanding of brilliancy is made larger, higher and finer. … When your thinking is brilliant, you will be brilliant, but if your thinking is not brilliant you will not be brilliant, no matter how brilliant you may think you are.

…

When you think that you are beautiful, you are liable to think that you are more beautiful than others, and such a thought is not a beautiful thought. To recognize or criticise ugliness and inferiority in others is to create the inferior and the ugly in yourself, and what you create in yourself will sooner or later be expressed through your mind and personality.

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That which you need , you already have

Let me tell you a small story first…

Once upon a time, when technology was not so advanced as it is now, lived a woodcutter in a corner of a dense forest. One day, he had to cross the forest and reach a place on the other side of the forest by the next morning for an important meeting. So, he started early in the morning and planned to reach his place before sunset. He thought that he’ll have a good rest by the night and make himself available for the appointment next morning. But due to bad weather, he could travel only half the distance and could reach only the middle of the forest at sunset. Darkness was enveloping the dense forest swiftly and he became anxious. He had no option to keep travelling throughout the night if he had any chance of reaching the other end by morning, but how can he? He didn’t even bring a lamp with him and it was getting darker and darker. He was looking around desperately and suddenly, in the middle of darkness, he faintly saw something like a hut hidden behind the trees. Hoping for help he made his way towards the hut. It happened to be a hermitage and there was a sage, a holy man sitting inside the hut and meditating. Our man was excited! He had heard others say that sages are kind souls. He had also heard that sages are very powerful, that they can perform all kinds of miracles, so he thought he can beg the sage to perform some miracle and help him cross the forest by morning. He went to the sage, saluted him and asked him if he can grant him a favour. The kind sage asked him what’s the matter. Our man explained the whole situation and requested the sage to light up his path so that he can cross the forest by morning without any difficulty. The sage gave him a small hand lamp and told him that it will help him get across. Now, this is not what our man expected! He thought that the sage will use his magic powers and spectacularly light up the whole forest and he’ll joyously walk across the forest before dawn. He revealed his disappointment to the sage and asked why only a small hand lamp. The sage laughed and said him, “Dear, even if I use my powers and light up your whole path, It’s not much of use to you. Yes, the lamp I gave you will help you see only 10 meters ahead of you, but that is all you need. As you cover up those 10 meters, the next 10 meters will unfold before you. That way, you will cross the forest by morning without any difficulty”.

Our lives are pretty much like that. I always believe that at any point in a person’s life, God (or nature as you may call it) gives exactly what he/she needs so that he/she can inch closer and closer to the ultimate destination. At this point in your life you are in the exact place you should be, you have got exactly what you need, the exact amount of resources that will help you evolve, nothing more, nothing less. But most of us, instead of looking at things we have, always think about things we don’t have. Instead of using the resources at hand in the best possible way and moving ahead, we always think about what could be and what could have been. We don’t do smaller things right, and expect much bigger things to happen in our lives.

And then, there is this tendency to feel anxious about what will happen to us in the future. We are so busy thinking about and planning for the unknown future 10, 20, 60 years ahead that we forget about the present and things that are right before us that needs our immediate attention. Yes, it’s necessary to have a vision, a goal, a sense of direction. But we can get to the top of the mountain only by climbing step by step, focusing our attention on the step immediately ahead of us, that’s the sure and steady way to get to the top. Instead, in the middle of the path, if we walk with our eyes fixed on the mountain top and our mind thinking whether or not we’ll reach there, we are sure to stumble and fall down only to start again from the basement of the mountain. We tend to look for assurance from God that we’ll be secure for the rest of our life. But this assurance is of little use to us. All we can see is the day ahead. When we can use the tools and resources given to us and spend the day in the most efficient manner, the next day will unfold. As we go on this way, day after day, we’d have gone a long way when we finally leave this human body.

As Swami Vivekananda says,

By doing well the duty which is nearest to us, the duty which is in our hands now, we make ourselves stronger and improving our strength in this manner step by step, we may even reach a state in which it shall be our privilege to do the most coveted and honoured duties in life and in society.

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Abdul Kalam meets Swami Sivananda

Dr. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India is considered a youth icon in India. He always says, “You have to dream before your dreams can come true.” That’s very true, you first have to dream before it can come true, but not all dreams come true, at least not the way you want it to. Take the case of Abdul Kalam himself. Young Abdul Kalam dreamt of flying in the sky, like a free bird. He wanted to join the Indian Air Force and become a pilot. After finishing his education, he applied to become a pilot in the IAF, quickly, he got an interview call and Kalam gladly attended the selection process at Dehra Dun. Unfortunately, he was not selected and young Kalam was heartbroken to say the least. Deeply disappointed, Kalam trekked down to nearby Rishikesh where he met Swami Sivananda. Kalam considers this meeting to be one of the most important events in his life. Here’s how Dr. Kalam recounts this meeting with Swami Sivananda in his autobiography.

I bathed in the Ganga and revelled in the purity of its water. Then I walked to the Sivananda Ashram situated a little way up the hill. I could feel intense vibrations when I entered. I saw a large number of sadhus seated all around in a state of trance. I had read that sadhus were psychic people–people who know things intuitively and, in my dejected mood, I sought answers to the doubts that troubled me.

I met Swami Sivananda–a man who looked like a Buddha, wearing a snow white dhoti and wooden slippers. He had an olive complexion and black, piercing eyes. I was struck by his irresistible, almost child-like smile and gracious manner. I introduced myself to Swamiji. My Muslim name aroused no reaction in him. Before I could speak any further, he inquired about the source of my sorrow. He offered no explanation of how he knew that I was sad and I did not ask.

I told him about my unsuccessful attempt to join the Indian Air Force and my long cherished desire to fly. He smiled, washing away all my anxiety almost instantly. Then he said in a feeble, but very deep voice,

Desire, when it stems from the heart and spirit, when it is pure and intense, possesses awesome electromagnetic energy. This energy is released into the ether each night, as the mind falls into the sleep state. Each morning it returns to the conscious state reinforced with the cosmic currents. That which has been imaged will surely and certainly be manifested. You can rely, young man, upon this ageless promise as surely as you can rely upon the eternally unbroken promise of sunrise… and of Spring.

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear–How true! Here was the teacher to show the way to a student who had nearly gone astray! “Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not destined to become an Air Force pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined. Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your destined path. Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God,” Swamiji said.

After this, Dr. Kalam joined the ‘Directorate of Technical Develpment and Production’ as a ‘Senior Scientific Assistant’. He later worked with prestigious organizations like the DRDO and ISRO. He may not have had the opportunity to steer an aircraft and fly freely in the sky, but he was to steer the strategic Indian space program and missile program. He went on to become the eleventh President of India, it’s all history now.

Coming to Swami Sivananda… personally, I have read Sivananda’s books and they have influenced my attitude to a great extent, especially, his book “Thought Power“. I am a fan of Sivananda’s simple, uncomplicated and not so scholarly style of writing. Swami Sivananda has written 296 books in all covering subjects like spirituality, yoga, philosophy, etc. You’ll find so many repetitions in his book, but all for good purpose. Some of his books are available online and can be downloaded for free.

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Quotes from " Wings of Fire :An autobiography of Abdul Kalam "

I have been reading the book Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Abdul Kalam, as we know, is not just a missile scientist and a rocket engineer who went on to become the 11th President of India, he is also a nation builder, a visionary, motivator, a management guru, a philosopher, a poet, and above all he is a deeply spiritual person and an ideal karma yogi. Needless to say, his autobiography, Wings of Fire is one of my all time favourite books. I have nothing more to add to all that has already been wonderfully said about the book. So, let me just quickly share a few quotes from Kalam that I have collected from his book.

I wonder why some people tend to see science as something which takes man away from God. As I look at it, the path of science can always wind through the heart. For me, science has always been the path to spiritual enrichment and self-realisation.

the best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt.

I often read Khalil Gibran, and always find his words full of wisdom. “Bread baked without love is a bitter bread that feeds but half a man’s hunger”–those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around. If you are a writer who would secretly prefer to be a lawyer or a doctor, your written words will feed but half the hunger of your readers; if you are a teacher who would rather be a businessman, your instructions will meet but half the need for knowledge of your students; if you are a scientist who hates science, your performance will satisfy but half the needs of your mission.

I have always considered the price of perfection prohibitive and allowed mistakes as a part of the learning process. I prefer a dash of daring and persistence to perfection. I have always supported learning on the part of my team members by paying vigilant attention to each of their attempts, be they successful or unsuccessful.

To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.

Total commitment is the common denominator among all successful men and women. Are you able to manage the stresses you encounter in your life? The difference between an energetic and a confused person is the difference in the way their minds handle their experiences. Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success. All of us carry some sort of a super-intelligence within us. Let it be stimulated to enable us examine our deepest thoughts, desires, and beliefs.

I have used the word ‘flow’ at many places without really elaborating its meaning. What is this flow? And what are these joys? I could call them moments of magic. I see an anology between these moments and the high that you experience when you play badminton or go jogging. Flow is a sensation we experience when we act with total involvement. During flow, action follows action according to an internal logic that seems to need no conscious intervention on the part of the worker. There is no hurry, there are no distracting demands on one’s attention. The past and the future disappear. So does the distinction between self and the activity.

To live only for some unknown future is superficial. It is like climbing a mountain to reach the peak without experiencing its sides. The sides of the mountain sustain life, not the peak. This is where things grow, experience gained, and technologies are mastered. The importance of peak lies only in the fact that it defines the sides. So I went on towards the top, but always experiencing the sides. I had a long way to go but I was in no hurry. I went in little steps–just one step after another–but each step towards the top.

“God can do tremendous things through the person who doesn’t care about who gets the credit. Ego involvement must go,” writes [Robert] Schuller. “Before God trusts you with success, you have to prove yourself humble enough to handle the big prize.”

It has been my personal experience that the true flavour, the real fun, the continuous excitement of work lie in the process of doing it rather than in having it over and done with.

Life is a difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person. And to retain this right, you will have to be willing to take the social or external risks involved in ignoring pressures to do things the way others say they should be done.

God’s providence is your inheritance.

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