The Inner Consciousness

The inner consciousness

Of the saint

Is the true mosque

Where all should worship,

God lives there.


["Rumi Wisdom – Daily Teachings from the Great Sufi Master” by Timothy Freke; http://www.poetseers.org]

Destination

Ek bohot khoobsurat baat suni....that i would like to share ...

Ek din Prophet Mohammed ne zameen par apni lakdi se ek seedhi line banaayi aur kaha ke ye seedha raasta hai jo Khuda talak jaata hai... aur phir aarhi tirchi lakeerien iss line ko cross karti huvi banayien, aur kaha ke ye 'subul' (raastey hain) jo insaan ko mukhtalif simtoon (directions) mein le jaatey hain... aur iss mein se har raah par insaan ka shaitaani nafs khada hai, aur wo seedha raasta chalne waalon ko bhatka kar dosray raaston par daal deta hai...

jab ham car drive kar rahey hotay hain to bohot chaukanna (alert) aur hoshiyaar rehte hain ke kahin takkar na lag jaye, kahin kisi dosri vehicle se crash na ho jaye.. raaste ke poles, meridiens, waigerah se bach bach kar... aur apni manzil ki taraf barhte rehte hain... aisey hi aadmi apni zindagi raaste ke traps se, aur dangers se bachtey bachtey guzarta rehta hai.. yahi ravish (driving attitude) 'taqwa' kehlaati hai....a constant awareness of your actions .. and conciousness of God...

ek aur cute baat suni thi.. wo ye ke jo shakhs raaste mein hai aur usko apni manzil kii ..apne destination kii khabar nahin, he will eventually be lost? No, the fact is, he is already lost!....

Purification of heart

Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends upon how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more — more unseen forms become manifest to him.

If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?
[Jalal al-din Mohammed Rumi]

beautiful saying .. reminds me of sher from Alama Iqbal that i think i have already blogged before on this site ...

Tu bacha bacha ke na rakh isey
tera aaina hai woh aaina
jo shakista ho to aziz-tar hai
nigaah-e-aaina-saaz mein ...
[Dr Mohammed Iqbal ]

Fear and Love

Replace fear-motivated behavior with love-motivated behavior. Fear is the product of memory, which dwells in the past. Remembering what hurt us before, we direct our energies toward making certain that an old hurt will not repeat itself. But trying to impose the past on the present will never wipe out the threat of being hurt. That happens only when you find the security of your own being, which is love. Motivated by the truth inside you, you can face any threat because your inner strength is invulnerable to fear.

[Deepak Chopra]

Above extract is from Deepak Chopra's 10 keys to lasting happiness ...His writings are a brilliant example of amalgamation of science and spirituality

Brave

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.
[Aristotle ]

Anger

The first quote that i heard about anger when I was a still a kid was probably....

Anger is only one letter short of danger

Today i was reading an article by Shaikh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi
Adapted from the ‘Marifetname’ of Hd. Ibrahim Hakki Erzurumi (1703-1780) regarding seven stages of 'nafs' as mentioned in sufism('tasawwuff')...It is beautiful article .. the following lines caught my attention...

The negative emotion of anger, when it flares up, is faster than the rational effort to suppress it. Once anger has caught fire it is difficult to extinguish. Like fire, it burns all that is human in us; compassion, love, gentleness, generosity, the ability to communicate, to think of consequences, and intelligence are all reduced to ashes. All that remains is a dangerous wounded wild animal.

Ambrose Bierce tries to use reverse psychology when quoting

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.

Another thought I like about anger is

He who angers you conquers you.
[Elizabeth Kenny]

basically anger is nothing but the reflection of the arrogance living within us... and it is said that the cure of this arrogance is the realization that all you have, including your body and your very life, is not yours, but lent to you and entrusted to you by your Creator. Your actions are also His if they are good, and when they are bad, it is you who are tyrannizing yourself. Offer thanks for everything, and feel shame your wrongdoings; then you will be humble.

The fall of the one who stands low is much less painful than the one who falls from high ...

Argument

Read this quote today:

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.
[Unknown]

Such a beautiful thought.....

Reincarnation

In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission......

wow .. can you even comment on something like this except for .."What were they thinking ...? "

To Read full story go to
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20227400/site/newsweek/

Faith

On Some of the blogs I was reading in a last few days , I have seen discussions about existence of God Vs defining everything based on 'Science' , 'Philosophy' and 'Ethics'. Normally all discussions go round and round with no conclusions.. There cant be any conclusion that can be reached on this topic as existence and ways of God is beyond something we can comprehend ... Its not something on which people can be convinced either way ..beacuse this is 'music of the soul' that has to come from inside...its a leap of faith... Saw a beautiful quote that I feel sums it up...

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
[ Saint Augustine ]

Gadgets and Technology

Normal people... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.

[Scott Adams ]

What is it with Engineers and Technology Gadgets ?
Have heard these lyrics somewhere ..

The only difference between men and boys
..............is the price of their toys

Thoughts and Words

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts;

And when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime.

For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly.

[Kahlil Gibran]

Phi - The Divine Number

Last year I read "Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown . The best thing I liked about the book was the captivating way he defined the Phi ..(Fibonacci Series..) also known as divine proportion ...This is not Dan Brown's description but gives some good information about phi and why it is called divine proportion..or golden number...

What is Phi?

Also known as the golden number, it the basis for the 'Golden Ratio'. This is a mathematical proportion that appears repeatedly in nature and has long been considered a especially pleasing to the eye. Look at a pine cone or a nautilus shell and you will see an obvious representation of Phi.

Phi Diagrammed

With a geometric overlay, it is easy to see how the shape of a nautilus shell conforms to the Golden Ratio. The ratio of each segment's size to that of the previous segment is roughly 1.6, which is approximately equal to Phi.(See Image above)

By the Numbers

Phi is approximated as 1.618 but is actuality a 'non-terminating decimal,' meaning that it is a never-ending number. A mathmetical definition of Phi is that Phi squared equals Phi plus one. There is only one other number that has that property. Phi has been calculated with extraordinary accuracy

Why is it Called Phi?

The symbol φ or "phi" (pronounced "fee") was first used at the beginning of the 20th century. It is the first Greek letter in the name of Greek sculptor Phidias who lived around 490 - 430 B.C. Phidias used the Golden Ratio in some of his most famous sculptures including this statue of Zeus in the temple of Olympia.

Who Figured it Out?

The first definition of the golden ratio was provided around 300 B.C. by Euclid, the founder of geometry. He explained the perfect proportion of a line cut into its "extreme and mean ratio." That line (A--------------C-------B) is proportioned such that the ratio of the length of AC to that of CB equals the ratio of AB to AC.

The Significance?

Phi and the golden ratio pop up everywhere. Humans seem to find it particularly appealing. You can find it in architecture (the Guggenheim Museum), in music (some say Stradivarius used it to construct his famous violins), in nature (flowers, ferns and more) and in art such as the Last Supper.

For more information check out the following websites:
http://goldennumber.net/classic/heartbeat.htm

Courtsey: http://reference.aol.com/movies/da-vinci-code/phi

Castles

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

[Henry David Thoreau]

---------

Somebody has given me this Inspirational card when I was still in school . I loved the quote and remembered it since ...

Mom (Wax)

Aye Khuda !
is dil ko tu
yoon mom kar de
ke mein bhi kuchh
jeenay ka hunar
seekh paauN

ke mein kisi
mushqiloN ke
toofaN mein
sookhey pattoN
kii tarah toot ke
bikharne na paauN

zindagi kii
har tapish mein
bas mom kii tarah
pighal kar
haalaat ke saanche mein
dhal jaauN...

(c) Dipti written: 12th Aug 2007

Image Courtsey:http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/News%olumns/BurningCandle.jpg

I believe that happiness of the person is
related to his inner feelings and attitude.
External forces and situations have less to
do with happiness.. The more adaptable a
person is to external situations more
stable and happier the person is...

Soul

Seven times have I despised my soul:

The first time when I saw her being meek that she might attain height.

The second time when I saw her limping before the crippled.

The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy, and she chose the easy.

The fourth time when she committed a wrong, and comforted herself that others also commit wrong.

The fifth time when she forbore for weakness, and attributed her patience to strength.

The sixth time when she despised the ugliness of a face, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.

And the seventh time when she sang a song of praise, and deemed it a virtue.

Khalil Gibran - Sand and Foam

Religion

"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit."

[RabindraNath Tagore]

When a number of people from various angles and distances have a look at the sea, each man sees a portion of it according to his horizon. Though each man may say that what he sees is the real sea, all of them speak the truth, for all of them see portions of the same wide expanse. So the religious scriptures, though they seem to contain varying and conflicting statements, speak the truth, for they are all descriptions of that one infinite Reality.

[Vivekananda]

Dream

"Once upon a time, I, Lao'tse, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a man. Suddenly, I awoke, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming that I am now a man."

Silence....

The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you.Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say.

[Khalil Gibran]

Reminds me of a Sheyr ..

jise bhi dekhiye vo apne aap mein gum hai
zubaaN mili hai magar hamzubaaN nahi milta ...

Dil Ki nazar se...

Somehow Something reminded me of a couple of lines of a Hindi movie song. I have always loved these lyrics since I was a kid ...

Aati rahengii baharien
Jaati rahengii baharien
Dil kii nazar se
Duniya ko dekho
Duniya sada hii haseeN hai ..

translated to..

Springs will come
and springs will go
look at the world
thru eyes of heart
you will always find it
evergreen and beautiful ....

I always feel that everything is in your attitude .. happiness is never going to come to you from outside ... its living inside you .. you have to find it deep down in your heart ...

If anything troubles you ... SMILE .. and say to yourself ..."So what!... world is still so very beautiful...." there is beauty and purity everywhere .. in the smile hidden behind the wrinkles of a old lady .. in the gait and chuckle of a small child .. in the colors and texture of sand .. in the hues and shades of evening sun...in the twinkling of stars....in the brightness of faith in your heart."

contentment is the source of happiness and worldy goods give you momentary happiness ..for 'bliss' one has to look inside the soul....One has to search inside instead of outside...

Faith

They say ..

Its so easy
to talk the talk
but so difficult
to walk the talk..

Knowledge
and practice
are two cities
miles apart ..

and only way to
cover the distance
is LITTLE FAITH
in the heart

((c) Dipti)-written : 7th Aug'07)

The Individual

As you are now you are just a liquid phenomenon, changing every moment, nothing stable. Really you cannot claim any "I" --- you don't have one. You are many "I"s just in a flow, a riverlike flow. You are a crowd, not an individual yet. But meditation can make you an individual.
This word 'individual' is beautiful; it means indivisible. Right now as you are, you are divided. You are only many fragments clinging together anyhow without any center being there, without any master in the house, with only servants. And for a moment any servant can become the master.
Every moment you are different because you are not--- and unless you are, the divine cannot happen to you. To whom can it happen? You are not there.

[OSHO ; From The Book of Secrets ]

---------------------------------

Somehow I can identify with this .. At times I do feel I am fickle ..Sometimes I try to see it in positive light .. I try to think that the 'liquid phenomenon' being able to mold yourself is a good thing ..I like to think that I am 'adaptable' ...
This quote intrigued me ... A different perspective ...

Nature Vs Habit

Isn't it so ironic that any bad habits we have we so conviniently defend them by saying 'Oh ! I can't help it , that's my nature ...'

What is Nature ..? The word "nature" is derived from the Latin word natura, or "the course of things, natural character..And when we are born.. we are not born with those bad habits .. We are pure.. unblemished ..as nature intended us to be ...

Over a period of time we acquire these 'habits' thru laziness, greediness , influence of external entities..Television , Society , Peers and then we conviniently put the blame on nature...

We need to learn the difference between nature and habit . It is said that it takes about 21 days of conscious effort to create change or replace a habit. Habit per se is not bad but we need to learn to differentiate between good habits and bad habits ..

There is a beautiful quote
"Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters." [ Nathaniel Emmons ]

Argument

Today I stumbled on a blog http://islamucation.blogspot.com/ and read a beautiful quote ..and felt like adding it in here so more people can read it ... It really makes you think ...

Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong, or to expose him and win victory over him. Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray- O Lord, help him so that the truth may flow from his heart and on his tongue, and so that if the truth is on my side, he may follow me; and if the truth be on his side, I may follow him.

[Imam Ash-Shafi'i ]

Love of God

[Jalaluddin Rumi]

Every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing, those which average eyes would see as fixed and still.

[As quoted in Essential Sufism (1997) by James Fadiman and Robert Frager ]

If in thirst you drink water from a cup, you see God in it. Those who are not in love with God will see only their own faces in it.

[Khalil Gibran on Love of God:]

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

Dua

Ya Khuda !
Dua mein
uthe ye do haath
aur jhuka hua ek dil
teri rehmat ke
muntazir hain
..
ke kabhi
in aankhon mein bhi
woh sailaab de
jo yoon nam kar de
is dil ki
banjar zameen ko
..
ke mein bhi
phir uga sakun
is nam mitti mein
teri ibadat ke
kuchh phool..

[written : Jun'07
(c) Dipti]
Image Courtsey: http://mannachristianstore.com

Meher karo kii pyaar karien..

wrote it last year - 2006

Rachanhaar ne khel rachaaya
Is qaynaat ka roop sajaaya
har zarre par pyaar lutaaya
pyaar ka sabak hamein sikhaaya

waqt beeta aur insaan bhatka
duniyaa kii maaya mein atkaa
paap baRha is duniya mein phir
dukh kii badlii barsi ghir ghir

zindagi ke syaah falak par
insaniyat ka chaand tha khoya
Paap basa jab dil ke ander
beghar pyaar bohot tha roya

wo baRa rahim-o-karim hai
to ye dua bhi atta karey
jab dil nawaaza khud rab ne
Ye dil pyaar se saja rahey

andhiyaari shab ke aanchal par
pyaar ke chand sitaary jadien
uskii nawazishon ke sadke se
gham ke andheray door karien

pyaar ke deep jalaaney waaley
auron ko mehkaaney waaley
rab ke dil mein baste hain
pyaar ke nagme gaaney waaley

lafzon ke khwabon se jagkar
pyaar ka chaman aabaad karien
karo karo to bohot keh liya
meher karo kii pyaar karien

meher karo kii pyaar karien

-----------------------------------------------------

(c) Dipti 2006

Couplet of the day ..

Alama Iqbal sahab ka ek bohot hii khoobsurat sher hai ...

Tu bacha bacha ke na rakh issey
tera aaina hai wo aaina
ke shikasta ho to aziz tar hai
nigaah-e-aaina saaz mein

Its a beautiful expression , when a person walks on the true path ..walks on the path shown by the almighty .. he has to give up.. he learns to give up on his desires ...his wants ... the right path is not always the easy path ... but dont loose heart ... even though you have to give up desires at time .. even though you bow down for the happiness of others .... but the heart which derives pleasure from giving and not always wanting ... jo jhuknaa jaanta hai woh khuda ko zyaada pyaara hota hai .. and Iqbal has put this so beautifully in the above sher...

Gurbaani mein isi bhaav par ek khoobsurat panktii hai ...

"KarooN vinanti suno mere meeta
sant tehal kii vela
Ihan khat chalo har laha
aage basan suhela"

Amal aur Ilm (Action and Knowledge)

I have heard some beautiful thoughts on Amal and Ilm ..I fee that sharing this on a blog might help others to be aware of this differnce also

Alama Iqbal ka ek bohot khoobsurat sher hai ...

Amal se zindagi bantii hai jannat bhi jahannam bhi ,
Ye khaaki apni soorat mein na noori hai na naari hai ..

ke insaani zindagi kii behtari ke liye sirf ilm zaroori nahi .. ilm ho jaana aasaan hai , magar us par amal karna mushkil hai ...and most of the people including me have this big problem that we know but we dont implement ..Iska ek bohot achchha example jo ki society mein aam milta hai woh ye ke cigerette ke packets par surgeon general kii warning likhi hoti hai phir bhi ek baRi taadaad mein log cigerette smoking nahi chhoD paate ...

Agar ilm hai to amal kyun nahi hai ? Iskii bohot baRi wajah hai imaan.. faith .. insaani fitrat mein ekhlaas kii zarurat .. imaan kii ek khaasiyaat hoti hai ke isey banaane ke liye mehnat kii zarurat hoti hai .. kahin suna tha ke imaan kii mehnat ek uphill task hai ..

if you are not striving to go up ... gravity will pull you down

Infact amal ke bina ilm hona ek liability hai ...

sometimes ignorance is bliss

Agar kisi ko kisi baat ka ilm hi na ho to muafi maangi jaa sakti hai .. ilm ho , gyaan ho ... to insaan ke paas nafarmaani ka ... amal na karne ka excuse bhi nahi hota ....

In fact ilm ekattha karna .. ekhlaas kii baatien parhna .. samajhna .. us par discussions karnaa aasaan hota hai .. un par amal karna mushkil .. magar amal ke bina ye baatien sirf lafaazi hoti hain ... zehani aaiyaashi ...

Is baar Atlanta ke samagam mein Babaji ne bhi is mauju par ek line quote kari thi ke ..

boloN ke nakshoN mein amaloN ke rang bhar de

English mein is baat par ek famous muhawara hai ke ...

"Dont only talk your talk but Walk your talk" ...

Khalil Gibran- The Prophet

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese-Americal artist poet and writer , born in Lebnon in 1883 . I stumbled upon one of his books online today -"The Prophet" It is said that it was his best work The book is composed of 26 poetic essays. All of them were small about one page each .... Somebody has said about this book that "He that has read this book and understood it should read no other."...
In the book, the prophet Almustafa, who has lived in the foreign city of Orphalese for 12 years, is about to board a ship which will carry him home. He is stopped by a group of people, with whom he discusses many issues of life and the human condition

For your reading pleasure , I am attaching three random chapters/poems from that book that I specifically enjoyed ... If you like these then you can click the URL at the end of the mail and read the complete book...

CHAPTER #26 Religion

And an old priest said, "Speak to us of Religion."
And he said:
Have I spoken this day of aught else?
Is not religion all deeds and all reflection,
And that which is neither deed nor reflection, but a wonder and a surprise ever springing in the soul, even while the hands hew the stone or tend the loom?
Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupations?
Who can spread his hours before him, saying, "This for God and this for myself; This for my soul, and this other for my body?"
All your hours are wings that beat through space from self to self.
He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked.
The wind and the sun will tear no holes in his skin.
And he who defines his conduct by ethics imprisons his song-bird in a cage.
The freest song comes not through bars and wires.
And he to whom worshipping is a window, to open but also to shut, has not yet visited the house of his soul whose windows are from dawn to dawn.
Your daily life is your temple and your religion.
Whenever you enter into it take with you your all.
Take the plough and the forge and the mallet and the lute,
The things you have fashioned in necessity or for delight.
For in revery you cannot rise above your achievements nor fall lower than your failures.
And take with you all men:
For in adoration you cannot fly higher than their hopes nor humble yourself lower than their despair.
And if you would know God be not therefore a solver of riddles.
Rather look about you and you shall see Him playing with your children.
And look into space; you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arms in the lightning and descending in rain.
You shall see Him smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His hands in trees.

CHAPTER#3 MARRIAGE
Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

CHAPTER #4 CHILDRENAnd a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Attached is the URL if you want to read more ..
http://www.geocitie s.com/Athens/ 5484/Gib03. htm