DELUTION TIME (THE POWER OF NOW)

 

                         END THE DELUSION OF TIME

                      IT SEEMS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DISIDENTIFY FROM THE MIND. WE ARE ALL IMMERSED IN IT. HOW DO YOU TEACH A FISH TO FLY?

                    HERE IS THE KEY. END THE DELUSION OF TIME. TIME AND MIND ARE INSEPARABLE. REMOVE TIME FROM THE MIND AND IT STOPS - UNLESS YOU CHOOSE TO USE IT.

                      TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH YOUR MIND IS TO BE TRAPPED IN TIME. THE COMPULSION TO LIVE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH MEMORY AND ANTICIPATION. THIS CREATES AN ENDLESS PREOCCUPATION WITH PAST AND FUTURE AND AN UNWILLINGNESS TO HONOR AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENT MOMENT AND ALLOW IT TO BE THE COMPULSION ARISES BECAUSE THE PAST GIVES YOU AN IDENTIFY AND THE FUTURE HOLDS THE PROMISES OF SALVATION, OF FULLFILLMENT IN WHATEVER FORM. BOTH ARE ILLUSIONS.

                      BUT WITHOUT A SENSE OF TIME, HOW WOULD WE FUNCTION IN THIS WORLD? THERE WOULD BE NO GOALS TO STRIVE TOWARD ANYMORE. I WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM, BECAUSE MY PAST MAKES ME WHO I AM TODAY. I THINK TIME IS SOMETHING VERY PRECIOUS, AND WE NEED TO LEARN OT USE IT WISELY RATHER THAN WASTE IT.

                     TIME ISN'T PRECIOUS AT ALL, IT IS AN ILLUSION. WHAT YOU PERCEIVE AS PRECIOUS IS NOT TIME BUT ONE POINT THAT IS OUT OF TIME. THE NOW. THAT IS PRECIOUS INDEED. THE MORE YOU ARE FOCUSED ON TIME - PAST AND FUTURE - THE MORE YOU MISS THE NOW. THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THERE IS. 

                       WHY IS IT THE MOST PRECIOUS THING? FIRSTLY, BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY THING. IT'S ALL THERE IS. THE ETERNAL PRESENT IS THE SPACE WITHIN WHICH YOUR WHOLE LIFE UNFOLDS, THE ONE FACTOR THAT REMAINS CONSTANT. LIFE IS NOW. THERE WAS NEVER A TIME WHEN YOUR LIFE WAS NOT NOW, NOR WILL THERE EVER BE. SECONDLY, THE NOW IS THE ONLY POINT THAT CAN TAKE YOU BEYOND THE LIMITED CONFINES OF THE MIND. IT IS YOUR ONLY POINT OF ACCESS INTO THE TIMELESS AND FORMLESS REALM OF BEING.

                              NOTHING EXISTS OUTSIDE 

                                               THE NOW

                 AREN'T PAST AND FUTURE JUST AS REAL, SOMETIMES EVEN MORE REAL, THEN THAT PRESENT, AFTER ALL, THE PAST DETERMINES WHO ARE, AS WELL AS HOW WE PERCEIVE AND BEHAVE IN THE PRESENT. AND OUR FUTURE GOALS DETERMINE WHICH ACTIONS WE TAKE IN THE PRESENT.

                 YOU HAVEN'T YET GRASPED THE ESSENCE OF WHAT I AM SAYING BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT MENTALLY. THE MIND CANNOT UNDERSTAND THIS. ONLY YOU CAN. PLEASE JUST LISTEN.

                 HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED, DONE, THOUGHT, OR FELT ANYTHING OUTSIDE THE NOW? DO YOU THINK YOU EVER WILL? IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ANYTHING TO HAPPEN OR BE OUTSIDE THE NOW? THE ANSWER IS OBVIOUS , IS IT NOT?

                  NOTHING EVER HAPPENED IN THE PAST, IT HAPPENED IN THE NOW.

                  NOTHING WILL EVER HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, IT WILL HAPPEN IN THE NOW. WHAT YOU THINK OF AS THE PAST IS A MEMORY TRACE, STORED IN THE MIND, OF A FORMER NOW. WHEN YOU REMEMBER THE PAST, STORED IN THE MIND, OF A FORMER NOW. WHEN YOU REMEMBER, THE PAST, YOU REACTIVATE A MEMORY TRACE - AND YOU DO SO NOW. THE FUTURE IS AN IMAGINED NOW, A PROJECTION OF THE MIND. WHEN THE FUTURE COMES , IT COMES AS THE NOW. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE, YOU DO IT NOW. PAST AND FUTURE OBVIOUSLY HAVE NO REALITY OF THEIR OWN.  JUST AS THE MOON HAS NO LIGHT OF ITS OWN, BUT CAN ONLY REFLECT THE LIGHT OF THE SUN, SO ARE PAST AND FUTURE ONLY PALE REFLECTIONS OF THE LIGHT. POWER, AND REALITY OF THE ETERNAL PRESENT. THEIR REALITY IS "BORROWED" FROM THE NOW.

                  THE ESSENCE OF WHAT I AM SAYING HERE CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD BY THE MIND. THE MOMENT YOU GRASP IT, THERE IS A SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS FROM MIND TO BEING. FROM TIME TO PRESENCE. SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING FEELS ALIVE, RADIATES ENERGY, EMANATES BEING.

                                    WHY SHOULD WE BE 

                               ADDICTED TO THINKING?

                  BECAUSE YOU ARE IDENTIFIED WITH IT, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU DERIVE YOUR SENSE OF SELF FROM THE CONTENT AND ACTIVITY OF YOUR MIND. BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD CEASE TO BE IF YOU STOPPED THINKING.AS YOU GROW UP, YOU FORM A MENTAL IMAGE OF WHO YOU ARE, BASED ON YOUR PERSONAL AND CULTURAL CONDITIONING. WE MAY CALL THIS PHANTOM SELF THE EGO IT CONSISTS OF MIND ACTIVITY AND CAN ONLY BE KEPT GOING THROUGH CONSTANT THINKING. THE TERM EGO MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, BUT WHEN I USE IT HERE IT MEANS A FALSE SEFL, CREATED BY UNCONSCIOUS IDENTIFICATION WITH THE MIND.

                TO THE EGO, THE PRESENT MOMENT HARDLY EXISTS. ONLY PAST AND FUTURE ARE CONSIDERED IMPORTANT. THIS TOTAL REVERSAL OF THE TRUTH ACCOUNTS FOR THE FACT THAT IN THE EGO MODE THE MIND IS SO DYSFUNCTIONAL. IT IS ALWAYS CONCERNED WITH KEEPING THE PAST ALIVE, BECAUSE WITHOUT IT - WHO ARE YOU? IT CONSTANTLY PROJECTS ITSELF INTO THE FUTURE TO ENSURE ITS CONTINUED SURVIVAL AND TO SEEK SOME KIND OF RELEASE OR FULLFILLMENT THERE. IT SAYS, "ONE DAY, WHEN THIS, THAT, OR THE OTHER HAPPENS, I AM GOING GO BE OKAY, HAPPY, AT PEACE.". EVEN WHEN THE EGO SEEMS TO BE CONCERNED WITH THE PRESENT, IT IS NOT THE PRESENT THAT IT SEES. IT MISPERCEIVES IT COMPLETELY BECAUSE IT LOOKS AT IT THROUGH THE EYES OF THE PAST. OR IT REDUCES THE PRESENT TO A MEANS TO AN END, AND END THAT ALWAYS LIES IN THE MIND-PROJECTED FUTURE. OBSERVE YOUR MIND AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THIS IS HOW IT WORKS.

                         THE PRESENT MOMENT HOLDS THE KEY TO LIBERATION. BUT YOU CANNOT FIND THE PRESENT MOMENT AS LONG AS YOU ARE YOUR MIND.

THE POWER OF NOW

 

                                     ACCESSING NOW

                         A MOMENT AGO, WHEN YOU TALKED THE EXTERNAL PRESENT AND THE UNREALITY OF PAST AND FUTURE, I FOUND MYSELF LOOKING AT THAT TREE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW. I HAD LOOKED AT IT A FEW TIMES BEFORE, BUT THIS TIME IT WAS DIFFERENT. THE EXTERNAL PERCEPTION HAD NOT CHANGED MUCH, EXCEPT THAT THE COLORS SEEMED BRIGHTER AND MORE VIBRANT. BUT THERE WAS NOW AN ADDED DIMENSION TO IT. THIS IS HARD TO EXPLAIN. I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT I WAS AWARE OF SOMETHING INVISIBLE THAT I FELT WAS THE ESSENSE OF THAT TREE, ITS INNER SPIRIT, IF YOU LIKE. AND SOMEHOW I WAS PART OF THAT. I REALIZE NOW THAT I HADN'T TRULY SEEN THE TREE BEFORE, JUST A FLAT AND DEAD IMAGE PRESENT, BUT I CAN FEEL IT SLIPPING AWAY. YOU SEE, THE EXPERIENCE IS ALREADY RECEDING INTO THE PAST. CAN SOMETHING LIKE THIS EVER BE MORE THAN A FLEETING GLIMSE?

                  YOU WERE FREE OF TIME FOR A MOMENT. YOU MOVED INTO THE NOW AND THEREFORE PERCEIVED THE TREE WITHOUT THE SCREEN OF MIND. THE AWARENESS OF BEING BECAME PART OF YOUR PERCEPTION. WITH THE TIMELESS DIMENSION COMES A DIFFERENT KIND OF KNOWING, ONE THAT DOES NOT "KILL" THE SPIRIT THAT LIVES WITHIN EVERY CREATURE AND EVERY THING. A KNOWING THAT DOES NOT DESTROY THE SACREDNESS AND MYSTERY OF LIFE BUT CONTAINS A DEEP LOVE AND REVERENCE FOR ALL THAT IS. A KNOWING OF WHICH THE MIND KNOWS NOTHING.

                    THE MIND CANNOT KNOW THE TREE. IT CAN ONLY KNOW FACTS OR INFORMATION ABOUT THE TREE. MY MIND CANNOT KNOW YOU, ONLY LABELS, JUDGMENTS, FACTS, AND OPINIONS ABOUT YOU. BEING ALONE KNOWS DIRECTLY.

                     THERE IS A PLACE FOR MIND AND MIND KNOWLEDGE. IT IS IN THE PRACTICAL REALM OF DAY-TO-DAY LIVING. HOWEVER, WHEN IT TAKES OVER ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE, INCLUDING YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER HUMAN BEINGS AND WITH NATURE, IT BECOMES A MONSTROUS PARASITE THAT, UNCHECKED, MAY WELL END UP KILLING ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET AND FINALLY ITSELF BY KILLING ITS HOST.

                         YOU HAVE HAD A GLIMPSE OF HOW THE TIMELESS CAN TRANSFORE YOUR PERCEPTIONS. BUT AN EXPERIENCE IS NOT ENOUGH. NO MATTER HOW BEAUTIFUL OR PROFOUND. WHAT IS NEEDED AND WHAT WE ARE CONCERNED WITH IS A PERMANENT SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS.

                       SO BREAK THE OLD PATTERN OF PRESENT-MOMENT DENIAL AND PRESENT MOMENT RESISTANCE. MAKE IT YOUR PRACTICE TO WITHDRAW ATTENTION FROM PAST AND FUTURE WHENEVER THEY ARE NOT NEEDED. STEP OUT OF THE TIME DIMENTION AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN EVERYDAY LIFE. IF YOU FIND IT HARD TO ENTER THE NOW DIRECTLY, STARY BY OBSERVING THE HABITUAL TENDENCY OF YOUR MIND TO WANT TO ESCAPE FROM THE NOW. YOU WILL OBSERVE THAT THE FUTURE IS USUALLY IMAGINED AS EITHER BETTER OR WORSE THAN THE PRESENT. IF THE IMAGINED FUTURE IS BETTER , IT GIVES YOU HOPE OR PLEASURABLE ANTICIPATION. IF IT IS WORSE, IT CREATES ANXIETY. BOTH ARE ILLUSORY. THROUGH SELF-OBSERVATION, MOREPRESENCE COMES INTO YOUR LIFE AUTOMATICALLY. THE MOMENT YOU REALIZE YOU ARE NOT PRESENT, YOU ARE PRESENT. WHENEVER YOU ARE ABLE TO OBSERVE YOUR MIND, YOU ARE NO LONGER TRAPPED IN IT. ANOTHER FACTOR HAS COME IN, SOMETHING THAT IS NOT OF THE MIND. THE WITNESSING PRESENCE.

                     BE PRESENT AS THE WATCHES OF YOUR MIND - OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS AS WELL AS YOUR REACTIONS IN VARIOUS SITUATIONS. BE AT LEAST AS INTERESTED IN YOUR REACTIONS AS IN THE SITUATION OR PERSON THAT CAUSES YOU TO REACT. NOTICE ALSO HOW OFTEN YOUR ATTENTION IS IN THE PAST OR FUTURE. DON'T JUDGE OR ANALYZE WHAT YOU OBSERVE . WATCH THE THOUGHT, FEEL THE EMOTION, OBSERVE THE REACTION.DON'T MAKE A PERSONAL PROBLEM OUT OF THEM. YOU WILL THEN FEEL SOMETHING MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU OBSERVE. THE STILL, OBSERVING PRESENCE ITSELF BEHIND THE CONTENT OF YOUR MIND, THE SILENT WATCHER.

                  INTENSE PRESENCE IS NEEDED WHEN CERTAIN SITUATIONS TRIGGER A REACTION WITH A STRONG EMOTIONAL CHARGE, SUCH AS WHEN YOUR SELF-IMAGE IS THRATENED, A CHALLENGE COMES INTO YOUR LIFE THAT TRIG ERS FEAR, THINGS "GO WRONG" OR AN EMOTIONAL COMPLEX FROM THE PAST IS BROUGHT UP.IN THOSE INSTANCES, THE TENDENCY IS FOR YOU TO BECOME "INCONSCIOUS". THE REACTION OR EMOTION OR EMOTION TAKES YOU OVER- YOU "BECOME" OT, YOU ACT IT OUT, YOU JUSTIFY, MAKE WRONG, ATTACK, DEFEND... EXCEPT THAT IT ISN'T YOU, IT'S THE REACTIVE PATTERN, THE MIND IN ITS HABITUAL SURVIVAL MODE.

                 IDENTIFICATION WITH THE MIND GIVES IT MORE ENERGY, OBSERVATION OF THE MIND WITHDRAWS ENERGY FROM IT. IDENTIFICATION WITH THE MIND CREATES MORE TIME, OBSERVATION OF THE MIND OPENS UP THE DIMENSION OF THE TIMELESS. THE ENERGY THAT IS WITHDRAW FROM THE MIND TURNS INTO PRESENCE. ONCE YOU CAN FEEL WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PRESENT, IT BECOMES MUCH EASIER TO SIMPLY CHOOSE TO STEP OUT OF THE TIME DIMENSION  WHENEVER TIME IS NOT NEEDED FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES AND MOVE MORE DEEPLY INTO THE NOW. THIS DOES NOT IMPAIR YOUR ABILITY TO USE TIME - PAST OR FUTURE- WHEN YOU NEED TO REFER TO IT FOR PRACTICAL MATTERS. NOR DOES IT IMPAIR YOUR ABILITY TO USE YOUR MIND. IN FACT, IT ENHANCES IT. WHEN YOU DO USE YOUR MIND, IT WILL BE SHARPER, MORE FOCUSED.

THE BRIEF ABOUT CARNATIC MUSIC

 

                           IMPORTANT ELEMENT

                              OF CARNATIC MUSIC

                                 ERUTI : ERUTI COMMONLY REFERS TO MUSICAL PITCH. IT IS THE APPROXIMATE EQUIVALENT OF A TOXIC (OR LESS PRECISELY A KEY) IN WESTERN MUSIC, IT IS THE NOTE FROM WHICH ALL THE OTHERS ARE DERIVED. IT IS ALSO USED IN THE SENSE OF GRADED PITCHES IN AN OCTAVE. WHILE THERE ARE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF SOUNDS FALLING WITHIN A SCALE (OR RAGA) IN CARNATIC MUSIC, THE NUMBER THAT CAN BE DISTINGUISHED BY AUDITORY PERCEPTION IN TWENTY-TWO (ALTHOUGH OVER THE YEARS, SEVERAL OF THEN HAVE CONVERGED). IN THIS SENSE, WHILE SRUTI IS DETERMINED BY AUDITORY PERCEPTION, IT IS ALSO AN EXPRESSION IN THE LISTENER'S MIND.

                          SWARNA : SWARA REFERS TO A TYPE OF MUSICAL SOUND THAT IS A SINGLE NOTE, WHICH DEFINE A RELATIVE (HIGHER OR LOWER) POSITION OF A NOTE, RATHER THAN A DEFINED FREQUENCY. SWARAS ALSO REFER TO THE SOLFEGE OF CARNATIC MUSIC, WHICH CONSISTS OF SEVEN NOTES, "SA-RI-GA-MA-PA-DA-NI" (COMPARE WITH THE HINDUSTANI SARGAM SA-RE-GA-MA-PA-DHA-NI OR WESTERN DO-RE-MI-FA-SO-LA-TI). THESE NAMES ARE ABBRAEVIATIONS OF THE LONGER NAMES SHADJA, RISHABHA, GANDHARA, MADHYAMA, PANCHAMA, DHAIVATA AND NISHADA. UNLIKE OTHER MUSIC SYSTEMS, EVERY MEMBER OF THE SOLGEGE (CALLED A SWARA) HAS THREE VARIANTS. THE EXCEPTIONS ARE THE DRONE NOTES, SHADJA AND PANCHAMA (ALSO KNOWN AS THE TONIC AND THE DOMINANT) WHICH HAVE ONLY ONE FORM. AND 7MADHYAMA (THE SUBDOMINANT) WHICH HAS TWO FORMS. A 7TH CENTURY STONE INSCRIPTION IN KUDUMIYAN MALAI IN TAMILNADU SHOWS VOWEL CHANGES TO SOLFEGE SYMBOLS WITH RA,RI,RU,ETC. TO DENOTE THE HIGHER QUARTER-TONES. IN  ONE SCALE, OR RAGAM, THERE IS USUALLY ONLY ONE VARIANT OF EACH ONE PRESENT. THE EXCEPTIONS EXISTS IN "LIGHT" RAGAS, IN WHICH, FOR ARTISTIC EFFECT, THERE MAY BE TWO,ONE ASCENDING (IN THE AROHANAM) AND ANOTHER DESCENDING (IN THE AVAROHANAM)

                          RAGA SYSTEM : A RAGA IN CARNATIC MUSIC PRESCRIBES A SET OF RULES FOR BUILDING A MELODY - VERY SIMILAR TO THE WESTERN CONCEPT OF MODE. IT SPECIFIES RULES FOR MOVEMENTS UP (AAROHANAM), AND DOWN (AVAROHANAM), THE SCALE OF WHICH NOTES MAY BE SUNG WITH GAMAKA, WHICH PHRASES SHOULD BE USED, PHRASES SHOULD BE AVOIDED, AND SO ON.

                   IN CARNATIC MUSIC, THE SAMPOORNA RAGAS (THOSE WILL ALL SEVEN NOTES IN THEIR SCALES) ARE CLASSIFIED INTO A SYSTEM CALLED THE MELAKARTA, WHICH GROUPS THEM ACCORDING TO THE KINDS OF NOTES THAT THEY HAVE. HTERE ARE SEVENTY-TWO MELAKARTA RAGAS, THIRTY SIX OF WHOSE MADHYAMA (SUBDOMINANT) IS SADHARANA ( SUBDOMINANT) IS PRATI (AN AUGMENTED FOURTH FROM THE TONIC) THE RAGAS ARE GROUPED INTO SETS OF SIX, CALLED CHAKRAS, (WHEELS, THOUGH ACTUALLY SEGMETNS IN THE CONVENTIONAL REPRESENTATION) GROUPED ACCORDING TO THE SUPERTONIC AND MEDIANT SCALE DEGREES. THERE IS A SYSTEM KNOWN AS THE "KATAPAYADI SANKHYA TO DETERMINE THE NAMES OF MELAKARTA RAGAS. RAGAS MAY BE DIVIDED INTO TWO CLASSES. JANAKA RAGAS (I.E. MELAKARTA OR PARENT RAGAS) AND JANYARAGAS (DESCENDANT RAGAS OF A PARTICULAR JANAKA RAGA). JANYA RAGAS ARE SUBCLASSIFIED INTO VARIOUS CATEGORIES THEMSELVES.

                       TALA SYSTEM : TALA REFERS TO THE BEAT SET FOR A PARTICULAR COMPOSITION (A MEASURE TO TIME) TALAS HAVE CYLES OF A DEFINED NUMBER OF BEATS AND RARELY CHANGE WITHIN A SONG. THEY HAVE SPECIFIC COMPONENTS, WHICH IN COMBINATIONS CAN GIVE RISE TO THE VARIETY TO EXIST (OVER 108), ALLOWING DIFFERENT COMPOSITIONS TO HAVE DIFFERENT RHYTHMS.

               CARNATIC MUSIC SINGERS USUALLY KEEP THE BEAT BY MOVING THEIR HANDS UP AND DOWN IN SPECIFIED PATTERNS, AND USING THEIR FINGERS SIMULTANEOUSLY TO KEEP TIME. TALA IS FORMED WITH THREE BASIC PARTS (CALLED ANGAS) , WHICH ARE LAGHU, DHRTAM, AND AMUDHRTAM, THOUGH COMPLEX TALAS MAY HAVE OTHER PARTS LIKE PLUTAM, GURU, AND KAAKAPAADAM. THERE ARE SEVEN BASIC TALA GROUPS WHICH CAN BE FORMED FROM THE LAGHU, DHRTAM, AND AMUDHRTAM, DHRUVA TALA, MATYA TALA, RUPAKA TALA, JHAMPA TALA, TRIPUTA TALA, ATA TALA, EKA TALA.

                A LAGHU HAS FIVE VARIANTS (CALLED JAATHIS) BASED ON THE COUNTING PATTERN, FIVE  JAASTHIS TIMES SEVEN TALA GROUPS GIVES THIRTY-FIVE BASIC TALAS, ALTHOUGH USE OF OTHER ANGAS RESULTS IN A TOTAL OF 108 TALAS.

  

                        IMPROVISATION : THERE ARE FOUR MAIN TYPES OF IMPROVISATION IN CARNATIC MUSIC, BUT IN EVERY TYPE, ADHERING TO THE SCALE AND PHRASES OF THE RAGAS IS REQUIRED.

                         RAGA ALAPANA : THIS IS THE EXPOSITION OF THE RAGAM OF THE SONG THAT IS BEING PLANNED TO BE PERFORMED. A PERFORMER WILL EXPLORE THE RAGAM FIRST BY SINGING LOWER OCTAVES THEN MOVING UP TO HIGHER ONES AND TOUCHING VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE RAGAM WHILE GIVING A HINT OF THE SONG TO BE PERFORMED . IT IS A SLOW IMPROVISATION, SINCE THE RULES ARE SO FEW, BUT IN FACT, IT TAKES MUCH SKILL TO SING A PLEASING, COMPREHENSIVE (IN THE SENSE OF GIVING A "FEEL FOR THE RAGAM) AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, ORIGINAL RAGA ALAPANA.

                         NIRAVAL : THIS IS USUALLY PERFORMED BY THE MORE ADVANCED CONCERT ARTISTS AND CONSISTS OF SINGING ONE OR TWO LINES OF A SONG REPEATEDLY, BUT WITH IMPROVISED ELABORATIONS. NIRAVAL COMES OUT OR MANODHARMA SANGEETHA, WHERE THE SELECTED LINE IS REPEATED WITHIN THE TALA TIMING TO BRING OUT THE BEAUTY OF BOTH THE RAAGA, AND THE LINE OR COMPOSITION BEING RENDERED.

                      KALPANASWARAM : THE MOST ELEMENTARY TYPE OF IMPROVISATION, USUALLY TAUGHT BEFORE ANY OTHER FORM OF IMPROVISATION. IT CONSISTS OF SINGING A PATTERN OF NOTES WHICH FINISHES ON THE BEAT AND THE NOTE JUST BEFORE THE BEAT AND THE NOTE ON WHICH THE SONG STARTS. THE SWARNA PATTERN SHOULD ADHERE TO THE ORIGINAL RAGA'S PATTERN, WHICH IS CALLED AS AAROHARAM-AVAROHANAM.

                 THANAM : THIS FORM OF IMPROVISATION WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED FOR THE VEENA AND CONSISTS OF EXPANDING THE RAGA WITH SYLLABUS LIKE THA, NAM, THOM, AA, NOM, NA, ETC.

                RAGAM THANAM PALLAVI : THIS IS A COMPOSITE FORM OF IMPROVISATION. AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, IT CONSISTS OF RAGA ALAPANA, THANAM, AND A PALLAVI LINE. THE PALLAVI LINE IS SUNG TWICE, AND NIRAVAL FOLLOWS. AFTER NIRAVAL, THE PALLAVI LINE IS SUNG AGAIN, TWICE IN NORMAL SPEED, THEN SUNG ONCE AT HALF THE SPEED, THEN TWICE AT REGULAR SPEED, THEN FOUR TIMES AT TWICE THE SPEED. KALPANASWARAMS FOLLOW.

PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME

 

                                       LETTING GO OF 

                                  PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME

      

                   LEARN TO USE TIME IN THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE- WE MAY CALL THIS "CLOCK TIME" - BUT IMMEDIATELY RETURN TO PRESENT-MOMENT AWARENESS WHEN THOSE PRACTICAL MATTERS HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH. IN THIS WAY, THERE WILL BE NO BUIL-UP OF 'PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME", WHICH IS IDENTIFICATION WITH THE PAST AND CONTINUOUS COMPULSIVE PROJECTION INTO THE FUTURE.

                     CLOCK TIME IS NOT JUST MAKING AN APPOINTMENT OR PLANNING A TRIP. IT INCLUDES LEARNING FROM THE PAST SO THAT WE DON'T REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES OVER AND OVER. SETTING GOALS AND WORKING TOWARD THEM. PREDICTING THE FUTURE BY MEANS OF PATTERNS AND LAWS, PHYSICAL, MATHEMATICAL AND SO ON, LEARED FROM THE PAST AND TAKING APPROPRIATE ACTION ON THE BASIS OF OUR PREDICTIONS.

                BUT EVEN HERE, WITHIN THE SPHERE OF PRACTICAL LIVING, WHERE WE CANNOT DO WITHOUT REFERENCE TO PAST AND FUTURE, THE PRESENT MOMENT REMAINS THE ESSENTIAL FACTOR. ANY LESSON FROM THE PAST BECOMES RELEVANT AND IS APPLIED NOW. ANY PLANNING AS WELL AS WORKING TOWARD ACHIEVING A PARTICULAR GOAL IS DONE NOW.

               THE ENLIGHTENED PERSON'S MAIN FOCUS OF ATTENTION IS ALWAYS THE NOW, BUT THEY ARE STILL PERIPHERALLY AWARE OF TIME. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY CONTINUE TO USE CLOCK TIME BUT ARE FREE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME.

                  BE ALERT AS YOU PRACTICE THIS SO THAT YOU DO NOT UNWITTINGLY TRANSFORM CLOCK TIME INTO PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE IN THE PAST AND LEARN FROM IT NOW, YOU ARE USING CLOCK TIME. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU DWELL ON IT MENTALLY, AND SELF-CRITICISM, REMORSE, OR GUILT COME UP, THEN YOU ARE MAKING THE MISTAKE INTO "ME" AND "MINE". YOU MAKE IT PART OF YOUR SENSE OF SELF, AND IT HAS BECOME  PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME, WHICH IS ALWAYS LINKED TO A FALSE SENSE OF IDENTIFY. NONFORGIVENESS NECESSARILY IMPLIES A HEAVY BURDEN OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME.

                 IF YOU SET YOURSELF A GOAL AND WORK TOWARD IT, YOU ARE USING CLOCK TIME. YOU ARE AWARE OF WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, BUT YOU HONOR AND GIVE YOUR FULLEST  ATTENTION TO THE STEP THAT YOU ARE TAKING AT THIS MOMENT. IF YOU THEN BECOME EXCESSIVELY FOCUSED ON THE GOAL, PERHAPS BECAUSE YOU ARE SEEKING HAPPINESS, FULFILLMENT, OR A MORE COMPLETE SENSE OF SELF IN IT. THE NOW IS NO LONGER HONORED. IT BECOMES REDUCED TO A MERE STEPPING STONE TO THE FUTURE, WITH NO INTRINSIC VALUE. CLOCK TIME THEN TURNS INTO PSYCHOLOGIAL TIME. YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NO LONGER AN ADVENTURE, JUST AN OBSESSIVE NEED TO ARRIVE , TO ATTAIN, TO "MAKE IT" . YOU NO LONGER SEE OR SMELL THE FLOWERS BY THE WAYSIDE EITHER, NOR ARE YOU AWARE OF THE BEAUTY AND THE MIRACLES OF LIFE THAT UNFOLDS ALL AROUND YOU WHEN YOU ARE PRESENT IN THE NOW.

               I CAN SEE THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF THE NOW, BUT I CANNOT QUITE GO ALONG WITH YOU WHEN YOU SAY THAT TIME IS A COMPLETE ILLUSION.

                  WHEN I SAY, 'TIME IS AN ILLUSION" MY INTENTION IS NOT TO MAKE A PHILOSOPHICAL STATMENT. I AM JUST REMINDING YOU OF A SIMPLE FACT - A FACT SO OBVIOUS THAT YOU MAY IT HARD TO GRASP AND MAY EVEN FIND IT MEANINGLESS - BUT ONCE FULLY REALIZED, IT CAN CUT LIKE A SWORD THROUGH ALL THE MIND-CREATED LAYERS OF COMPLEXITY AND "PROBLEMS" . LET ME SAY IT AGAIN, THE PRESENT MOMENT IS ALL EVER HAVE. THERE IS NEVER A TIME WHEN YOUR LIFE IS NOT "THIS MOMENT". IS THIS NOT A FACT?

                                      THE INSANITY OF

                                    PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME

           YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY DOUBT THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME IS A MENTAL DISCASE IF YOU LOOK AT ITS COLLECTIVE MANIFESTATIONS. THEY OCCUR, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE FORM OF IDEALOGIES SUCH AS COMMUNISM, NATIONAL SOCIALISM OR ANY NATIONALISM, OR RIGID RELIGIOUS BELIEF SYSTEMS, WHICH OPERATE UNDER THE IMPLICT ASSUMPTION THAT THE HIGHEST GOOD LIES IN THE FUTURE AND THAT THEREFORE THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS. THE END IS AN IDEA, A POINT IN THE MIND-PROJECTED FUTURE, WHEN SALVATION IN WHATEVER FORM - HAPPINESS, FULLFILLMENT, EQUALITY, LIBERATION, AND SO ON- WILL BE ATTAINED. NOT INFREQUENTLY, THE MEANS OF GETTING THERE ARE THE ENSLAVEMENT, TORTURE, AND MURDER OF PEOPLE IN THE PRESENT.

                   NEGATIVITY AND SUFFERING HAVE 

                          THEIR ROOTS IN TIME

                      BUT THE BELIEF THAT THE FUTURE WILL BE BETTER THAN THE PRESENT IN NOT ALWAYS AN ILLUSION. THE PRESENT CAN BE DREADFUL, AND THINGS CAN GET BETTER IN THE FUTURE, AND OFTEN THEY DO.

                         USUALLY, THE FUTURE IS A RELICA OF THE PAST. SUPERFICIAL CHANGES ARE POSSIBLE, BUT REAL TRANSFORMATION IS RARE AND DEPENDS UPON WHETHER YOU CAN BECOME PRESENT ENOUGH TO DISSOLVE THE PAST BY ACCESSING THE POWER OF NOW. WHAT YOU PERCEIVE AS FUTURE IS AN INTRINSIC PART OF YOUR STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOW. IF YOUR MIND CARRIES A HEAVY BURDEN OF PAST, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE MORE OF THE SAME. THE PAST PERPETUATES ITSELF THROUGH LACK OF PRESENCE. THE QUALITY OF YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS AT THIS MOMENT IS WHAT SHAPES THE FUTURE - WHICH OF COURSE, CAN ONLY BE EXPERIENCED AS THE NOW.

                     YOU MAY WIN $10 MILLION, BUT THAT KIND OF CHANGE IS NO MORE THAN SKIN DEEP. YOU WOULD SIMPLY CONTINUE TO ACT OUT THE SAME CONDITIONED PATTERNS IN MORE LUXURIOUS SURROUNDINGS. HUMANS HAVE LEARNED TO SPLIT THE ATOM. INSTEAD OF KILLING TEN OR TWENTY PEOPLE WITH A BUTTON. IS THAT REAL CHANGE?

                    IF IT IS THE QUALITY OF YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS AT THIS MOMENT THAT DETERMINES THE FUTURE, THEN WHAT IS IT THAT DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS? YOUR DEGREE OF PRESENCE. SO THE ONLY PLACE WHERE TRUE CHANGE CAN OCCUR AND WHERE THE PAST CAN BE DISSOVED IS THE NOW.

THE STATE OF PRESENCE (THE POWER OF NOW)

 

                                     THE PAST CANNOT 

                            SURVIVE IN YOUR PRESENCE

                       

                YOU MENTIONED THAT THINKING OR TAKING ABOUT THE PAST UNNECESSARILY IS ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE  AVOIDE THE PRESENT. BUT APART FROM THE PAST THAT WE REMEMBER AND PERHAPS IDENTIFY WITH, ISN'T THERE ANOTHER LEVEL OF PAST WITHIN US THAT IS MUCH MORE DEEP-SEATED? I AM TALKING ABOUT THE UNCONSCIOUS PAST THAT CONDITIONS OUR LIVES, ESPECIALLY THROUGH EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, PERHAPS EVEN PAST-LIFE, EXPERIENCES. AND THEN THERE IS OUR CULTURAL CONDITIONING, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH WHERE WE LIVE GEOGRAPHICALLY AND THE HISTORICAL TIME PERIOD IN WHICH WE LIVE. ALL THESE THINGS DETERMINE HOW WE SEE THE WORLD, HOW WE REACT, WHAT WE THINK, WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIPS  HAVE, HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES. HOW COULD WE EVER BECOME CONSCIOUS OF ALL THAT OR GET RID OF IT? HOW LONG WOULD THAT TAKE? AND EVEN IF WE DID, WHAT WOULD THERE BE LEFT?

                                      WHAT IS LEFT WHEN ILLUSION ENDS ?

                       

                       THERE IS NO NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE UNCONSCIOUS PAST IN Y EXCEPT AS IT MANIFEST AT THIS MOMENT AS A THOUGHT, AN EMOTION DESIRE, A REACTION, OR AN EXTERNAL EVENT THAT HAPPENS TO YOU. WHATEVER YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UNCONSCIOUS PAST IN YOU, THE CHALLENGE OF THE PRESENT WILL BRING IT OUT. IF YOU DELVE INTO THE PAST. IT BECOME A BOTTOMLESS PIT, THERE IS ALWAYS MORE, YOU MAY THINK IT YOU NEED MORE THAN TIME TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST OR BECOME FREE OF IT, OTHER WORDS. THAT THE FUTURE WILL EVENTUALY FREE YOU OF THE PAST. MORE TIRED CANNOT FREE YOU OF TIME. ACCESS THE POWER OF NOW. THAT IS THE KEY.

                   WHAT IS THE POWER OF NOW?

                   NONE OTHER THAN THE POWER OF YOUR PRESENCE, YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS ERATED FROM THOUGH FORMS.

                    SO DEAL WITH THE PAST ON THE LEVEL OF THE PRESENT. THE MORE ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO THE PAST, THE MORE YOU NERGIZE IT, AND THE MORE LIKE YOU ARE TO MAKE A "SELF" OUT OF IT. DON'T MISUNDERSTAND. ATTENTION ESSENTIAL, BUT NOT TO THE PAST AS PAST. GIVE ATTENTION TO THE PRESENT, ATTENTION TO YOUR BEHAVIOR, TO YOUR REACTIONS, MOODS, THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, FEARS, AND DESIRES AS THEY OCCUR IN THE PRESENT. THERE'S THE PAST YOU. IF YOU CAN BE PRESENT ENOUGH TO WATCH ALL THOSE THINGS. NOT CRECALLY OR ANALYTICALLY BUT NONJUDGEMENTALLY, THEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH PAST AND DISSOLVING IT THROUGH THE POWER OF YOUR PRESENCE. YOU CANNOT FIND YOURSELF BY GOING INTO THE PAST. YOU FIND YOURSELF BY COMING IT THE PRESENT.

                       

                 ISN'T IT HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST AND SO UNDERSTAND WHY WE CERTAIN THINGS, REACT IN CERTAIN WAYS, OR WHY WE UNCONSCIOUSLY CREATION OUR PARTICULAR KIND OF DRAMA, PATTERNS IN RELATIONSHIPS, AND SO ON?

            AS YOU BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR PRESENT  REALITY. YOU MAY SUDDENTLY GET CERTAIN INSIGHTS AS TO WHY YOUR CONDITIONING FUNCTIONS IN THOSE PARTICULAR WAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHY YOUR RELATIONSHIPS FOLLOW CERTAIN PATTERNS , AND YOU MAY REMEMBER THINGS THAT HAPPNED IN THE PAST OR SEE THEM MORE CLEARLY. THAT IS FINE AND CAN BE HELPFUL, BUT IT IS NOT ESSENTIAL. WHAT IS ESSENTIAL IS YOUR CONSCIOUS PRESENCE. THAT DISSOVLES THE PAST. THAT IS THE TRANSFORMATIVE AGENT. SO DON'T SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST. BUT BE AS PRESENT AS YOU CAN. THE PAST CANNOT SURVIVE IN YOUR PRESENCE. IT AN ONLY SURVIVE IN YOUR ABSENCE.

                                   THE JOY OF BEING

                   THE ALERT YOU THAT YOU HAVE ALLOWED YOURSELF TO BE TAKEN OVER BY PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME, YOU CAN USE A SIMPLE CRITERION. ASK YOURSELF, IS THERE JOY, EASE, AND LIGHTENESS IN WHAT I AM DOING? IF THERE ISN'T THEN TIME IS COVERING UP THE PRESENT MOMENT, AND LIFE IS PERCEIVED AS A BURDEN OR A STRUGGLE.

                   IF THERE IS NO JOY, EASE, OR LIGHTENESS IN WHAT YOU DOING, IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT YOU NEED TO CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING. IT MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO CHANGE TO HOW. "HOW" IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN "WHAT". SEE IF YOU CAN GIVE MUCH MORE ATTENTION TO THE DOING THAN TO THE RESULT THAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE THROUGH IT. GIVE YOUR FULLEST ATTENTION TO WHATEVER THE MOMENT PRESENTS. THIS IMPLIES THAT YOU ALSO COMPLETELY ACCEPT WHAT IS, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT GIVE YOUR FULL ATTENTION TO SOMETHING AND AT THE SAME TIME RESIST IT.

                 AS SOON AS YOU HONOR THE PRESENT MOMENT, ALL UNHAPPINESS AND STRUGGLE DISSOVE. AND LIFE BEGINS TO FLOW WITH JOY AND EASE. WHEN YOU ACT OUT OF PRESENT-MOMENT AWARENESS, WHATEVER YOU DO BECOMES IMBUED WITH A SENSE OF QUALITY, CARE, AND LOVE - EVEN THE MOST SIMPLE ACTION.

FEARLESS LIFE

 

                                 

                               HAVE YOU EXPERIENCE 

                                       WITH MONSOON

                 HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED THE INDIAN MONSOON? IT BRINGS ONE OF THE FIERCEST, MOST THUNDEROUS DOWNPOURS OF WATER FROM THE HEAVEN. IF YOU'RE CAUGHT IN THE HEAVY RAIN, IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE OT STAY DRY. SIMILARLY, IT IS HARD NOT TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE CHALLENGES AND NEGATIVE SITUATIONS OF THE WORLD. FEELING PEACEFUL, HAPPY AND CONTENT IS NOT ABOUT AVOIDING CHALLENES IN OUR LIFE, AND CONTENT IS NOT ABOUT AVOIDING CHALLENGES IN OUR LIFE, BUT ABOUT HOW WE NAVIGATE THROUGH THESE CHALLENGES TO REACH THE TYPE OF LIFE WE WANT TO LIVE.

                 ALDOUS HUXLEY SAID, EXPERIENCE IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO A MAN, IT IS WHAT A MAN DOES WITH WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM. ' IT'S HOW WE RESPOND THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. IF THERE IS ONE POSSESSION WE HAVE THAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE AND CAN TRULY TRANSFORM OUR LIVES COMPLETELY, IT IS OUR FREE WILL. WE ARE THE AUTHORS OF OUR OWN LIFE STORIES. CHALLENGES AND DIFFICULTIES MAY FALL UPON US, JUST AS THE MONSOON RAINS FALL UPON OUR HEAD. WE DON'T SEEK THEM OR SOLITCIT THEM. THEY JUST COME OUR WAY. WE MUST CHOOSE HOW TO RESPOND.

                     HAPPINESS DOES NOT COME AUTOMATICALLY. FROM A YOUNG AGE WE RECEIVE METHODICAL EDUCATION IN A VARIETY OF AREAS AND FIELDS, BUT HAPPINESS IS USUALLY NOT ONE OF THEM. TO LIVE A HAPPY LIFE, WITH INTEGRITY AND WITH BALANCE, IS ONE OF LIFE'S AMAZING SECRETS WHICH IS REVEALED WITHIN THIS CHAPTER. THESE ARE SIMPLE PRINCIPLES THAT CAN BE USED BY ANYONE TO EXPERIENCE A SENSE OF SATISFACTION.

                   DO YOU EVER FEEL IRRITABLE OR FRUSTRATED? DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT LIFE ISN'T GOING YOU WAY? DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT THERE IS A KEY PART OF YOUR LIFE THAT NEEDS ATTENTION? IF THE ANSWER TO ANY OR ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS IS A YES, IT'S SIGN THAT YOU LIFE IS PROBABLY OUT OF BALANCE. THE SECRET OF LIFE IS FINDING BALANCE, NOT TOO MUCH, NOT TOO LITTLE. JUST AS A CAR BALANCES ON FOUR WHEELS, WE MUST BALANCE THE FOUR CRUCIAL AREAS OF OUR LIFE, OUR PERSONAL LIFE, OUR RELATIONSHIPS, OUR WORK LIFE AND OUR SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION.

                          BALANCE ON AN EXTERNAL LEVEL IS ABOUT THE ALIGNMENT OF THE WHEELS. IT IS ABOUT ADJUSTING OUR PRIORITIES BASED ON THE NEED OF THE MOMENT, AND FOCUSING ON THAT PARTICULAR WHEEL WHICH IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. AT SOME POINT IN OUR LIVES OUR WORK LIFE MAY NEED MORE FOCUS THAN OUR PERSONAL LIFE. HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO MEET A PROJECT DEADLINE AT WORK? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. THEY ARE TOO BUSY REACHING THEIR TAGET. AT OTHER TIMES OUR PERSONAL LIFE MAY TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER EVERYTHING ELSE. HAVE YOU EVER ASKED A COUPLE ORGANIZING THEIR WEDDING TO SPEND MORE TIME AT WORK? IT'S UNREASONABLE TO DO SO AS THEY ARE PLANNING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DAYS OF THEIR LIVES. DEAR FRIENDS, WE MUST BE WILLING TO ADJUST OUR PRIORITIES TO BRING THOSE WHEELS INTO ALIGNMENT.

                    HOWEVER, A DEEPEST ASPECT OF BALANCE THAT RESIDES WITHIN US IS ABOUT OUR ATTITUDES AND VALUES THAT WE HAVE EXPLORED IN THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THIS BOOK. THAT ATTITUDE IS LIKE THE AIR IN THE TYRES OF THE CAR. IF THE TYRES THE CAR ARE NOT AT THE CORRECT PRESSURE, THERE CAN BE A PUNCTURE, STOPPING UR FROM GETTING TO OUR DESTINATION. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO NAVIGATE THE INTERNAL ASPECTS OF BALANCE. IF THE EXTERNAL TENETS OF BALANCE ARE ADJUSTMENT AND ALIGNMENT, THEN THE INTERNAL ONES ARE ATTITUDE AND VALUES.

               AS WE BALANCE OURSELVES EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY, IT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR SUCCESS THAT WE NEVER LET GO OF THE STEERING WHEEL OUR SPIRITUALLY. IF ALL THE WHEELS ARE IN PROPER ALINGMENT, IF THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TYRES IS OPTIMAL, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE STEERING WHEEL IN OUR HANDS,  WE STILL NOT BE ABLE TO REACH WHERE WE WANT TO GO. IT WAS THE BUDDHA WHO SAID, JUST AS A CANDLE CANNOT BURN WITHOUT FIRE, WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL LIFE, SPIRITUALLY IN WHATEVER GENUINE FORM OF PRACTICE, BRINGS PURPOSE TO OUR LIFE AND GIVE US A DESTINATION WORTH GOING TO. AT TIMES WE MAY FEEL EMPTY OR LOST OR HAVE AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS, WHEN WE FEEL THAT WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE OUR LIFE IS TAKING US. IT IS AT THOSE TIMES THAT WE MUST HOLD THE STEERIN WHEEL OF SPIRITUALITY TIGHTLY AND PRESS ON. THE STEERING WHEEL COMPRISES FOUR PIECES, OUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (SADHANA) AND OUR SERVICE TO GOD AND TO OTHERS(SEVA) WHEN ALL THESE ASPECTS OF THE STEERING WHEEL ARE ADHERED TO PROPERLY, THEY GIVE US THE ABILITY TO DRIVE THE CAR OF OUR LIFE TOWARDS ITS DESTINATION.

                        LET'S GET THERE, TEGETHER.

THE POWER OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

 

                               ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY, 

                                     SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE

                    YOUR ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO ACCEPT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE ARE ESSENTIAL TO HAPPINESS, HEALTH, SUCCESS, ACHIEVEMENT, AND PERSONAL LEADERSHIP. ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY IS ONE OF THE HARDEST OF ALL DISCIPLINE, BUT WITHOUT IT, NO SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE.

                    THE FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND THE ATTEMPTS TO FOIST RESPONSIBILITY FOR THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT MAKES YOU UNHAPPY ONTO OTHER PEOPLE, INSTITUTIONS, AND SITUATIONS COMPLETELY DISTORT CAUSE AND EFFECT, UNDERMINE YOUR CHARACTER, WEAKEN, YOUR RESOLVE, AND DIMINISH YOUR HUMANITY. THEY LEAD TO MAKING ENDLESS EXCUSES.

                              MY GREAT REVELATION

                        WHEN I WAS TWENTY-ONE, I WAS LIVING IN A TINY APARTMENT AND WORKING AS A CONSTRUCTION LABORER. I HAD TO GET UP AT 5.00 SO THAT I COULD TAKE THREE BUSES TO WORK IN ORDER TO BE THERE BY 8.00 A.M I DIDN'T GET HOME UNTIL 7.00 P.M, TIRED OUT FROM CARRYING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ALL DAY. I WAS MAKING JUST ENOUGH MONEY TO GET BY, AND I HAD NO CAR, ALMOST NO SAVINGS, AND JUST ENOUGH CLOTHES FOR MY NEEDS. I HAD NO RADIO OR TELEVISION.

                   IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF A COLD WINTER, WITH THE TEMPERATURE AT MINUS 35 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, SO I SELDOM WENT OUT IN MY SMALL APARTMENT AT MY LITTEL TABLE IN MY KITCHEN NOOK AND READ.

               ONE EVENING, LATE AT NIGHT, I WAS SITTING THERE BY MYSELF AT THE TABLE, IT SUDDENLY DAWNED ON ME THAT "THIS IS MY LIFE". THIS LIFE WAS NOT A REHEARSAL FOR SOMETHING ELSE. THE GAME WAS ON, AND I WAS THE MAIN CHARACTER, AS IN A PLAY.

                 IT WAS LIKE A FLASHBULB GOING OFF IN MY FACE. I LOOKED AT MYSELF AND AROUND ME AT MY SMALL APARTMENT, AND I CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT I HAD NOT GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. THE ONLY WORK THAT I WAS QUALIFIED TO DO WAS MANUAL LABOR. I EARNED JUST ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY MY BASIC EXPENSES, AND I HAD VERY LITTLE LEFT OVER AT THE END OF EACH MONTH.

                     I SUDDENLY KNEW THAT UNLESS I CHANGED, NOTHING ELSE WAS GOING TO CHANGE. NO ONE ELSE WAS GOING TO DO IT FOR ME. IN REALITY, NO ONE ELSE CARED. I REALIZED AT THAT MOMENT THAT, FROM THAT DAY FORWARD I WAS COMPLETLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY LIFE AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME. I WAS RESPONSIBLE. I COULD NO LONGER BLAME MY SITUATION ON MY DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD OR MISTAKES I HAD MADE IN THE PAST. I WAS IN CHARGE. I WAS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THIS WAS MY LIFE, AND IF I DIDN'T DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE IT, IT WOULD GO ON LIKE THIS INDEFINITELY, BY THE SIMPLE FORCE OF INTERIA.

                     THIS REVELATION CHANGED MY LIFE. I WAS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN. FROM THAT MOMENT ON, I ACCEPTED MORE AND MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE. I ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR DOING MY JOB BETTER THAN BEFORE RATHER THAN DOING ONLY THE MINIMUM THAT WAS NECESSARY TO AVOID GETTING FIRED. I ACCEPTED RESPONBILITY FOR MY FINANCES, MY HEALTH, AND, ESPECIALLY MY FUTURE.

                     THE VERY NEXT DAY, I WENT DOWN TO A LOCAL BOOKSTORE AT MY LUNCH BREAK AND BEGAN THE LIFELONG PRACTICE OF BUYING BOOKS WITH INFORMATION, IDEAS, AND LESSONS THAT COULD HELP ME. I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT, TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING IN EVERY WAS POSSIBLE.

                 FOR THE REST OF MY BUSINESS LIFE, RIGHT UP TO THE PRESENT MOMENT, WHENEVER I'VE WANTED OR NEEDED TO LEARN SOMETHING TO HELP ME, I HAVE RETURNED TO LEARNING, TO READING, TO LISTENING TO AUDIO PROGRAMS AND ATTENDING COURSES AND SEMINARS. I FOUND THAT YOU COULD LEARN ANYTHING YOU NEED TO LEARN IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH ANY GOAL YOU SET FOR YOURSELF.

                   OVER TIME, I LEARNED THAT FULLY 80 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION NEVER ACCEPTS COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR LIVES. THEY CONTINUALLY COMPLAIN, CRITICIZE, MAKE EXCUSES, AND BLAME OTHER PEOPLE FOR THINGS IN THEIR LIVES ABOUT WHICH THEY ARE NOT HAPPY . THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS WAY OF THINKING, HOWEVER, CAN BE DISASTROUS. THEY CAN SABOTAGE ALL HOPES FOR SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS LATER IN LIFE.

                    1. MAKE A DECISION TODAY TO TAKE COMPLETE CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE, GET OUT OF DEBT, AND ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE. 

                    2. DETERMINE YOUR NET WORTH TODAY. ADD UP ALL YOUR ASSETS, SUBTRACT ALL YOUR DEBTS AND LIABILITIES, AND CALCULATE THE EXACT NUMBER.

                    3. SET UP A SEPERATE BANK ACCOUNT AND BEGIN SAVING AT LEAST 1 PERCENT OF YOUR INCOME AS YOU RECEIVE IT EVERY MONTH OR PAYCHECK.

                   4. MAKE A LIST OF ALL YOUR DEBTS AND BEGIN PAYING THEM OFF, STARTING WITH THOSE CARRYING THE HIGHEST INTEREST RATES.

                   5. CALCULATE THE EXACT AMOUNT THAT YOU WILL NEED TO BE FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT AT THE END OF YOUR CAREER AND THEN SET THIS AS A GOAL.

                  6. SET SPECIFIC FINANCIAL ACCUMULATION GOALS FOR YOURSELF FOR EACH MONTH, QUARTER, AND YEAR FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

                  7. PRACTICE FRUGALITY IN SPENDING BY PUTTING OFF AND DELAYING EVERY EXPENDITURE YOU POSSIBLY CAN INTIL YOU ACHIEVE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS.