NO EXCUSES

 

                                            

                                         BE THE BEST

                    LIFELONG PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE COMMITMENT TO PERSONAL EXCELLENCE REQUIRE TREMENDOUS DEDICATION, DISCIPLINE, AND WILLPOWER. THE GREATEST PAYOFF IS THAT EVERY TIME YOU LEARN AND APPLY SOMETHING NEW, YOUR BRAIN RELEASES ENDORPHINS, WHICH MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPIER AND MORE EXCITED ABOUT YOUR FUTURE.

                   EVERY TIME YOU LEARN AND APPLY SOMETHING NEW, YOU WILL HAE A GREATER SENSE OF PERSONAL POWER. YOUR SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-RESPECT, AND PERSONAL PRIDE WILL INCREASE. YOU WILL FEEL VERY MUCH IN CONTROL OF YOUR EARNING ABILITY, WHICH ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF YOUR LIFE.

                     IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF COURAGE, OF OVERCOMING THE FEARS AND DOUBTS THAT HOLD MOST PEOPLE BACK. IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO, BUT WE LACK THE CAURAGE TO TAKE THE RISKS THAT ACCOMPANY TRYING ANYTHING NEW. INSTEAD, WE MAKE EXCUSES FOR INACTION.

                                  ACTION EXERCISES

             * MAKE A DECISION TODAY TO INVEST IN YOURSELF AND GETTIN BETTER, AS IF YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT - BECAUSE IT DOES.

             * IDENTIFY THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS YOU HAVE THAT DETERMINE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF RESULTS YOU GET AT YOUR WORK, AND MAKE A PLAN TO GET BETTER IN EACH ONE.

             * IF YOU COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND AND BECOME ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT IN ANY ONE SKILL, WHICH ONE SKILL WOULD HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR EARNING ABILITY? WHATEVER YOUR ANSWER, SET THAT SKILL AS A GOAL, MAKE A PLAN, AND WORK ON IT EVERY DAY.

               * SET EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE IN YOUR WORK AS A GOAL, AND THEN DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO EVERY DAY TO JOIN THE TOP 20 PERCENT OR BETTER IN YOUR FIELD.

                * LOOK AHEAD THREE TO FIVE YEARS AND DETERMINE THE NEW KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS YOU WILL  NEED IN ORDER TO LEAD YOUR FIELD IN THE FUTURE. THEN START ACQUIRING THEM TODAY.

                 * SELECT THE TOP PERSON IN YOUR FIELD, THE ONE YOU ADMIRE MOST, AND USE HIM OR HER AS A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT.

                 * COMMIT YOURSELF TODAY TO LIFELONG LEARNING, AND NEVER LET A DAY GO WITHOUT GETTING BETTER IN SOME AREA.

               *TAKE OUT A SHEET OF PAPER AND WRITE OUTYOUR ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.

                  1. NAME THREE PEOPLE, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO YOU MOST ADMIRE AND DESCRIBE, ONE QUALITY OF EACH OF THEM THAT YOU RESPECT.

                  2. DETERMINE THE MOST IMPORTANT VIRTUE OR QUALITY IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU STRIVE THE MOST TO PRACTICE OR EMULATE.

                  3. IDENTIFY THOSE SITUATIONS IN WHICH YOU FEEL THE MOST CONFIDENT, IN WHICH YOU FEEL LIKE THE VERY BEST PERSON YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE.

                  4. WHAT SITUATIONS GIVE YOU YOUR GREATEST FEELINGS OF SELF-ESTEEM AND PERSONAL WORTH?

                  5. IF YOU WERE ALREADY AN EXCELLENT PERSON IN EVERY RESPECT, HOW WOULD YOU BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY FROM TODAY ONWARD?

                6. WHAT ONE QUALITY WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO THINK OF WHEN YOUR NAME IS MENTIONED, AND WHAT COULD YOU DO TO ENSURE THIS HAPPEN?

                7. IN WHAT ONE AREA DO YOU NEED TO BE MORE TRUTHFUL PRACTICE HIGHER LEVELS OF INTREGRITY THAN YOU DO TODAY?

TRADITION

               

                        INNOVATION WITHIN TRADITION

                  KATHAK YOGA : KATHAK YOGA IS A TECHNIQUE CREATED BY PANDIT CHITESH DAS. THE DANCER HAS TO RECITE THE TAAL, SING A MELODY, AND PERFORM COMPLEX FOOTWORK AND SPINS ALL WITHIN THE SAME COMPOSITION, AND FREQUENTLY WITH TWO OR MORE OF THESE ELEMENTS OCCURING SINULTANEOUSLY. THE AIM IS TO UNIFY THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF KATHAK, SO THAT THE DANCER IS CONSTANTLY AWARE OF THE PRECISE RELATIONSHIP OF WHATEVER COMPOSITION IS BEING DANCED  (WHETHER A SONG OR A DANCE COMPOSITION) TO THE RHYTHM CYCLE.

                   GHUNGHRU : GHUNGHRU OR GHUNGHROO ARE THE SMALL BELLS THE DANCER TIES AROUND HIS OR HER ANKLES. THE KATHAK BELLS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF OTHER INDIAN DANCE STYLES, AS THEY ARE NOT AFFIXED TO A PAD OR STRIP OF LEATHER, BUT RATHER ARE INDIVIDUALLY WOVEN ALONG A THICK STRING. THE USUAL NUMBER OF BELLS IS 100 ON EACH ANKLE, ALTHOUGH FOR THE INITIAL STAGES OF LEARNING OR FOR CHILDREN, 25 AND 50 BELLED STRINGS ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE TO ALLOW THE DANCER TO GET USED TO THEM.

                 THERE IS A MORE OR LESS ACCEPTED UPPER CEILING OF 150 ON EACH ANKLE. GREATER FIGURES THAN THIS TEND TO INVOLVE THE TOPMOST CIRCLE OF BELLS BEING TIED FURTHER AND FURTHER UP A DANCER'S CALF. THIS IS GENERALLY REGARDED AS UNSUITABLE, BECAUSE IT IS AT SOME DISTANCE FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT, GIVING RISE TO THE UPPER LEVELS OF BELLS BEING PRONE TO DELAYED SOUNDING GIVEN THE INTERVENING SPACE AND AMOUNT O LEG. GREATER NUMBERS ARE ALSO UNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL SINCE THE ARE MORE LIKELY TO SOUND AT UNWANTED MOMENTS, BEING AFFECTED BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE WHOLE OF THE LOWER LEG, RATHER THAN JUST THE ANKLE.

                  COSTUME : AS THE DANCE STYLE ITSELF HAS CHANGED TO REFLECT THE DIFFERENT MILIEUS IN WHICH IT FOUND ITSELF, SO TOO HAS THE COSTUME AND PERFORMANCE DRESS OF THE DANCERS.

                   PADMA VIBHUSHAN BIRJU MAHARAJ AND HIS DISCIPLE SARASWATI SEN FEMALE COSTUME : TRADITIONAL (AND PERHAPS MORE SPECIFICALLY HINDU) COSTUME SOMETIMES CONSISTS OF A SARI, WHETHER WORN IN AN EVERYDAY STYLE, OR TIED UP TO ALLOW GREATER FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT DURING DANCE. HOWEVER, MORE COMMONLY, THE COSTUME IS A LEHENGA-CHOLI COMBINATION. WITH AN OPTIONAL ODHNI OR VEIL. THE LEHENGA IS LOOSE ANKLE-LENGTH SKIRT, AND THE CHOLI IS A TIGHT FITTING BLOUSE, USUALLY SHORT-SLEEVED. BOTH CAN BE HIGHLY ORNATELY EMBROIDERED OR DECORATED. THE LEHENGA IS SOMETIMES ADAPTED TO A SPECIAL DANCE VARIETY, SIMILAR TO A LONG GHAGHRA,SO THAT DURING SPINS, THE SKIRT FLARES OUT DRAMATICALLY.

                 MUGHAL COSTUME FOR WOMEN CONSISTS OF AN ANGARKHA (FROM THE SANSKRIT ANGA-RAKSHAKA "LIMB-KEEPER) ON THE UPPER BODY. THE DESIGN IS AKIN TO A CHUDIDAAR KAMEEZ, BUT IS SOMEWHAT TIGHTER FITTING ABOVE THE WAIST, AND THE 'SKIRT' PORTION EXPLICITLY CUT ON THE ROUND TO ENHANCE THE FLARE OF THE LOWER HALF JUGGING TROUSERS FOLDED UP GIVING THE LOOK OF CLOTH BANGLES. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES ARE A SMALL PEAKED CAP AND BANDI OR SMALL BANGLES. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A BELT MADE OF ZARI OR PRECIOUS STONES IS ALSO WON ON THE WAIST.

               MALE COSTUME : THE TRADITONAL HINDU COSTUME FOR MEN TO BE BARE-CHESTED. BELOW THE WAIST IS THE DHOTI, USUALLY TIED IN THE BENGAL STYLE, THAT IS WITH MANY PLEATS AND A FAN FINISH TO ONE OF THE ENDS (ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT UNKNOWN FOR DANCERS TO TIE THE GARMENT MORE SIMPLY) THERE IS THE OPTION OF WEARING A MEN'S BANDI TOO.

                THE MUGHAL COSTUME IS KURTA : THE KURTA CAN BE A SIMPLE ONE, OR AGAIN, ADAPTED FOR DANCE TO INCORPORATE WIDER FLARE, BUT IS USUALLY AT LEAST KNEE LENGTH. MEN MAY ALSO WEAR AN ANGARKHA (SEE FEMALE COSTUME ABOVE) PARTICULARLY OLDER VARIETY COSTUMES INCLUDE THE SMALL PEAKED CAP TOO.

                   KATHAKALI : KATHAKALI IS A FORM OF INDIAN DANCE-DRAMA . IT ORIGINATED IN THE SOUTHERN STATE OF KERALA DURING THE LATE 16TH CENTURY, APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 1555 TO 1605 AD. THE NAME KATHAKALI DERIVES FROM THE MALAYALAM WORDS "KATHA" (MEANING STORY) AND "KALI" (MEANING PLAY)

                 KATHAKALI ORIGINATED FROM RAMANATTOM (RAMAN, ATTOM (ENACTMENT) AND KRISHNANATTOM (KRISHNAN, ATTOM (ENACTMENT) SUBSEQUENTLY, KOTTAKARA THAMPURAN (RULER OF KOTTARAKARA, ONCE A PROVINCE IN KERALA) COMPOSED SEVERAL PLAYS ON MAHABHARATA WHICH LED TO THE EVOLUTION OF KATHAKALI, RAMANATTOM CONTINUED AS A PART OF KATHAKALI. KATHAKALI SHARES A LOT OF SIMILARITIES TO KRISHNANATTOM, KOODIYATTOM (SANSKRIT DRAMA EXISTING IN KERAL) AND ASHTAPADIATTOM (AN ADAPTATION OF 12TH CENTURY MUSICAL CALLED GITA GOVINDAM) IT ALSO POPULARLY. IN PARTICULAR, THE USE OF MALAYALAM, WHICH IS THE LOCAL LANGUAGE (ALBEIT AS A MIX OF SANSKRIT AND MALAYALAM, CALLED MANIPRAVAALAM) MADE IT MORE POPULAR AMONG THE MASSES, DURING ITS EVOLUTION, KATHAKALI ALSO IMBIBED ELEMENTSFROM FOLK AND MARTIAL ARTS WHICH EXISTED AT THE TIME IN KERALA.

                 CHARACTERS WITH VIVIDLY PAINTED FACES AND ELABORATE COSTUMES TO RE-ENACT STORIES FROM THE EPICS LIKE MAHABHARATA AND RAMAYANA. KATHAKALI IS FEATURED IN THE AWARD-WINNING INDO-FRENCH-GERMAN PRODUCED FILM VAAMAPRASTHAM DIRECTED BY SHAJI N KARUN AND ACTED BY MOHANLAL. KATHAKALI HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN PERFORMED IN TEMPLES AND PLACES, BUT NOWADAYS IT MAY ALSO BE SEEN IN OTHER ENTERTAINMENT FUNCTIONS. EARLIER KATHAKALI WAS IN AN UNCIVILISED FORM, LATER IT HAS BEEN REFORMED IN THE NEW VERSION BY THE GREAT ARTIST KAPPLINGATTU NAMPOOTHIRI INTRODUCING ALL THOSE CHANGES THAT WE SEE TODAY. AT THE BEGINNING THERE WAS NO SUCH MAKE UPS FOR "VESHAM". LATER THE INTRODUCED SUCH PERFECT MAKE UP AND SEPARATE SINGER FOR KATHAKALI.

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.