Nayana's Stories

  Most people feel that their religion comes from worshipping too many gods. What is religion? Is praying and going to the temple to be the only way to be religious or are there another qualitative process that invokes god within us. If I were to think about myself for me I hardly had an idol to worship or a temple in my home. Yet I consider myself a spiritually sound and grounded person. So what is it that makes one so grounded without going to the temples or worshipping every god that they hear off? So there is a faith in Krishna, Ram, Saraswati, Hanuman, Saibaba, Buddha, Shiv, and many others. Especially in India, there are so many gods and so many temples that ones gets carried away by what is religious? What is spirituality? And what is to be worshipped? Only when you find your own path can you really find the true meaning of spirituality. Learn to live life rather be stuck in logical choices. Do you wants to travel multiple fields or territories or satisfied with one ...

  These are two extremes that are chosen either way or both together. Some people delve in constantly seeking abundance or more and are sometimes happy with whatever is less or minimum. It’s not a value base choice but only it is to bring awareness in life around what are my choices. Abundance brings lots of comfort and a smooth lifestyle whereas poverty or lack of it rings a sub- Standard lifestyle. It makes you feel lesser than others. Poverty makes you feel alone and lonely with the rest of the world. We seek god in the outer world but we do not realize that he is there within each one of us. In their ambition, they want to go the moons, and the mountains, and there are some who are happy with little hearts with little homes. It depends on what is our search and what is our need. So have I reached the thresholds or do I feel I have arrived or it’s there still some more space to wander. Is there a difference between a man and a woman in this choice? I feel men want mo...

  Knowledge and wisdom have quite a bit in common and a basically used as noun that are related to learning. Knowledge is defined as “Acquainted with facts, Truths, and principle.” It is generally gained through research and delving into facts. Wisdom is described as being wise, having power, and judging properly as to what is right and wrong. Wisdom is typically gained from experiences acquired overtime. As both of them are synonyms they don’t overlap too much. The primary difference between the two is that wisdom involves an ability to make judgments about a subject while knowledge is simply knowing. It is wisdom that requires more understanding and ability which facts are relevant in certain situations. Knowledge is knowing what to say whereas wisdom is knowing when to say. It is also about knowing when and how to use knowledge being able to put the situation I perspective and how to transfer it to others. “Knowledge is knowing Tomato is fruit and wisdom is knowing not...

  Are we prepared for death or are we in the illusion it never going to come to us? So most of us are in the mode of enjoying life to the fullest. Buddhism is the only religion that moves us towards death, other religion talk of flow to live life happily. But death is an inevitable reality of life. Are we scared of it or are we prepared to deal with me in a graceful manner? Most of the time in all social conversations people talk “Oh! I am living life to the fullest.” Nobody talks of “How I am prepared to face an inevitable reality i.e death” People also inevitable illness when they know that one is moving toward death. People only console you on “No nothing is going to happen and you are going to live a life.” It is the very unrealistic and fake belief that one is promised. Buddhism and Vipassana are the two paths that teach you to engage or encounter this reality to the fullest. Even Osho refers to it in his conversations and talks. At times if you are resourceful o...

Both this feelings go hand in hand at times. I get into the celebration mode and at times I get into repentant mode. I celebrate life when it gives me opportunities to feel good and joyous with the situation. Who defines the situation? At times a situation may be may create happiness and at times it may create sadness. Most of the times I can celebrate something when I have been able to achieve something in life or engage with people in a meaningful way. But who defines life? Each individual has a different orientation and a meaning towards the meaning of life and what they observe out of it. For me the meaning of life comes from sense of ethical values, responsibility to the context being involved in the meaningful activities and relating to the world or the people with sensitivity and compassion. There are people who are completely opposite of this description. For the meaning in life comes from spending money in similar ways and must be with the world. There is no sense of...

  We hear through our ears and it is more of a physical phenomenon as we listen through the heart and the mind which is an emotional phenomenon. When you hear at a very superficial level and the message does not drive through deeply in our minds whereas when we listen the message is deeply understood felt and reacted upon. What do I do between these two options? I end up hearing people when the message is in a state of boredom not so interesting. Whereas I listen to people with full attention so that the other person is also felt listened to. Listening is also a spiritual process where you also listen to yourself and all the echoed voices that comes within. It may not be physical but can be very physiological and emotional. People also get tired when there is too much of hearing and less of listening. You received love and joy when you are listening whereas it does not happen so when you are not hearing. Listening is also about keeping you go aside and receiving wit...

  All the time man is struggling between the right and the wrong. Each choice gives you a certain value or a choice that makes you feel happy or unhappy. So how do we really get into the zone of these very difficult choices? Whatever is right for me can be wrong for the other person and vice versa. If I were to reflect on my orientation of these choice-making phenomena I end up wanting to do the right things all the time but then I realize that whatever is right for me can be completely reversed for the other person. At times defines what is right and what is wrong? Human beings continuously dabble in the pretext of wanting to appear good and nice to the world. Good and bad are two polarities which exist in our minds but is it also possible to make choices that are not so extreme but exists somewhere in between. The entire dilemma in the Mahabharata was what is between what is choices I make between these two extremes. The Gita is the right example of the dilemmas betwe...

  All of us have reached a stage and age where we are struggling with excess time and resources at hand. Most of us are replete with abundant resources of time money people to help and the social and emotional support system. We are abundant with men's material and their resources at hand. We also have abundant time. How many kitty parties, how many clubs, how many parties, and how many social and religious engagements will I engage in? Although there is a pull and time towards all of these still there is extra time and resources to spend time. So, am I spending time meaningfully and with a true sense of joy and satisfaction or am I just killing it for the sake of I have nothing else to do. What are my evocations, my pulls that make me spend time meaningfully? Meaningful also is a very subjective phenomenon. Something that can be meaningful for one can be a total waste of time and useless for the other. So how do I generate that sense of meaningfulness which belongs to ...