Looking at Life differently p l dhar

Looking at Life differently p l dhar

Why this topic ?

?

Stress, confusion arises from living life unconsciously . Looking at life very superficially

Living Consciously, looking at life deeply, with insight reduces confusion and stress .

Conscious vs Unconscious living

Unconscious living : following the rat race Default world view : hedonistic materialistic world view Happiness lies in sensory pleasures obtained through

things, power, name, fame, . Its consequences :

Cut throat competition, acquisitiveness, consumerism, aggressiveness, strife, stress, continual dissatisfaction, ecological and moral disaster

Conscious vs Unconscious living

Let me decide what I should be doing ? What do I need to feel good ?

Money Career growth Name and fame Using my skills for betterment of society Understanding the phenomenon of Life

How do I prioritise these objectives ?

Prioritising the Objectives Analyzing our experiences

Competition vs cooperation Grabbing vs sharing Self-centered vs altruistic actions

Anger vs forgiveness Jealousy vs joy at others success Deceit (smartness) vs truthfulness Attachment vs dispassion Pride vs humility

Analyzing our Experiences

We get much greater joy and longer lasting satisfaction in actions motivated by compassion, altruism, self-less ness, detachment, humility

Actions motivated by pride, selfishness, jealousy, attachment give momentary excitement but leave us tense and apprehensive

All Humanity is One in these Conclusions

Analyzing our Experiences

Handling difficulties Failure, loss Injustice, betrayal, blame Bereavement Aging, chronic (terminal) illness, death

BMW syndrome & anguish WHY ME ?

Understanding the Phenomenon of Life

Understanding the Phenomenon of Life

The wisdom of impermanence Even this will pass away

Once in Persia reigned a king,

Who upon a signet ring,

Carved a maxim strange and wise,

When held before his eyes,

Gave him counsel at a glance,

Fit for every change and chance:

Solemn words and these were they: Even this will pass away

Trains of camel through the sand

Brought him gems from Samarqand;

Fleets of galleys over the seas

Brought him pearls to rival these,

But he counted little gain,

Treasures of mine or main;

What is wealth? the king would say, Even this will pass away

Mid the pleasures of his court

At the zenith of their sport, when the palms of all his guests

Burned with clapping at his jests,

Seated midst the figs and wine,

Said the king: Ah, friends of mine,

Pleasures come but not to stay, Even this will pass away

Woman, fairest ever seen

Was the bride he crowned as queen,

Pillowed on his marriage bed

Whispering to his soul, he said

Though no monarch ever pressed

Fairer bosom to his breast,

Mortal flesh is only clay! Even this will pass away

Fighting on the furious field,

Once a javelin pierced his shield.

Soldiers with a loud lament

Bore him bleeding to his tortured side,

Pain is hard to bear , he cried,

But with patience, day by day, Even this will pass away

Towering in a public square

Forty cubits in the air,

And the king disguised, unknown,

Gazed upon his sculptured name,

And he pondered, What is fame?

Fame is but a slow decay! Even this will pass away

Struck with palsy, sore and old,

Waiting at the gates of gold,

Said he with his dying breath

Life is done, but what is death?

Then an answer to the king

Fell a sunbeam on his ring;

Showing by a heavenly ray, Even this will pass away

Theodore Tilten

The dawn of Wisdom of impermanence marks the beginning of

Looking at Life differently !

Due to the lack of this wisdom(avidya) we get attached to

-our body -our thoughts, views, name and fame -sensory pleasures & sorrows-relationships

and suffer !Humanity is ONE in this suffering

Getting established in this wisdomwe understand :

-Sensory pleasures CAN NOT give abiding satisfaction

-Grasping / resisting sensory stimuli are the real cause of suffering

We

Getting established in this wisdomwe see the path to freedom :

Thoughts, emotions are also evanescent & would cease naturally provided we do not interfere

If we train our mind to merely observe whatever arises in the mind or body we become more and more Tranquil and Equanimous at peace with ourselves and the world. We

There are no problems in Life...only situations

Respond unwisely : suffer Respond wisely : grow

Wise response is.

Accepting what we can not change, changing what we can, and knowing the difference between the two ! {pragmatism}

Wise response is... every situation conceals

an opportunity to evolve by reducing Clinging, Aversion and Ignorance

No impulsive reaction to situations : we ACT Consciously - we gain response-ability

As we sow, so we shall reap

we get what we give

As C A I reduce we gain Insight into the Laws of Nature

We are not distinct differentiated individuals

But intimately interconnected at the body level & the mental level with the whole cosmos

..We realize

Imbued with such wisdom we can easily prioritise our Objectives

Money

Career growth

Name and fame

Using my skills for betterment of society

Understanding the phenomenon of Life

and be more happy and peaceful !

Examples of a few people who looked at life differently

Albert Einstein A human being is a part of a whole, called by us

universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting

us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Victor Frankel Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the

human freedomsto choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

"'He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.'"

"When we are no longer able to change a situationjust think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancerwe are challenged to change ourselves"

"Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him - mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp."

Morrie Schwartz This disease is knocking at my spirit. But it will

not get my spirit. It will get my body

Aging is not just decay once you understand you are going to die, you live a better life because of that

When people say , oh, if I were young again You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven't found meaning. Because if youve found meaning in your life, you dont want to go back. You want to go forward.

People havent found meaning in their lives, so they are running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job.

Morrie Schwartz I delight in being a child when it is appropriate to be I delight in being a wise old man when it is

appropriate to be.

I believe in being fully present. that means you should be with the person you are with. I try to be focused on what is going on between us. I am not thinking about something we said last week. What is coming up this Friday..

When some one wanted to go ahead of me in traffic, I would raise my hand, wave and smile. You know what, a lot of time they smiled back.

Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you wont be dissatisfied, you wont be envious, you wont be longing for somebody elses things. On the contrary, youll be overwhelmed with what comes back."

Facing the Future

Every journey beginsWith but a small step.

And every day is a chanceFor a new, small stepIn the right direction.

Just follow your Heartsong.

I want people to know

my life philosophy,

to remember to play

after every stormMattie Stepanek

(1990-2004)

Looking at Death differently

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. -Richard Bach

Thank You !

Slide 1Slide 2Why this topic ?Conscious vs Unconscious livingSlide 5Prioritising the ObjectivesAnalyzing our ExperiencesSlide 8Understanding the Phenomenon of LifeSlide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13The dawn of Wisdom of impermanence marks the beginning of Looking at Life differently !Due to the lack of this wisdom (avidya) we get attached to -our body -our thoughts, views, name and fame -sensory pleasures & sorrows -relationships and suffer !Getting established in this wisdom we understand : -Sensory pleasures CAN NOT give abiding satisfaction -Grasping / resisting sensory stimuli are the real cause of suffering Getting established in this wisdom we see the path to freedom : Thoughts, emotions are also evanescent & would cease naturally provided we do not interfere If we train our mind to merely observe whatever arises in the mind or body we become more and more Tranquil and Equanimous at peace with ourselves and the world. Slide 18Slide 19Wise response is...Slide 21Slide 22Imbued with such wisdom we can easily prioritise our ObjectivesSlide 24Albert EinsteinVictor Frankel Morrie SchwartzSlide 28Slide 29Looking at Death differentlyThank You !